Novella
by Adventurer411
Summary: Oneshots and drabbles, taking requests. Current drabble/oneshot: Confessions. "Hiroki and I would play it when we fought over chores. We go back and forth confessing things—you know, secrets, embarrassing things—and the first one to stop loses. In this case, losing means asking someone out. Me for Ulrich, you for Aelita. Got it?" JerYumi.
1. Aelita Schaeffer

**WARNING: Spoiler if you haven't seen season four!**

**Setting: right after season four. **

**POV: Aelita's POV. **

**Rate: K+**

I am Aelita Schaeffer. I know compared to the others my life may seem easy, but it's not.

I worry daily about so many things, and most of them aren't even the worries of a normal girl. Family trouble? Not really, seeing as my dad is dead and my mom went missing long ago, probably dead. Friend drama? Nope. My friends and I have some trouble, but never enough to break us apart. Popularity drama? Nope. My friends aren't popular and neither am I, but we don't care. Boy troubles? No, seeing as I'm too shy to tell the boy I love how I really feel.

No, the things I worry about are different. I have a fake identity as Aelita Stones, and the constant worry that I will be discovered is always nagging in the back of my mind. I would be taken away from my friends and be questioned by the government. Then they would search my friends, and find the documents that Jeremy forged for me. They could be taken to a government facility, even arrested. I could ruin their lives by just being discovered as 'not Aelita Stones.'

I also lie awake at night, guilt plaguing my mind. So many people have sacrificed so much for me. Every time Xana attacks, the others risk their lives to get _me _to the tower safely. The only reason they even have to _deal_ with Xana is because Jeremy decided to keep the supercomputer on because of _me. _

He has sacrificed so much for me. Working tirelessly on my materialization and antivirus, skipping sleep, meals, and even classes for me.

I'm also alone. My family is gone, all my relatives dead or missing. I have my friends, but no parents, grandparents, or cousins.

See? I bet most girls don't lie awake at night worrying about an evil AI trying to kill their friends, or a boy giving up so much for them, or feel so alone because all of their family is gone.

One day maybe I can live a normal life; maybe I can someday pay everyone back for all they've done for me. Maybe one day, I, Aelita Schaeffer, can tell Jeremy I love him.

Maybe one day.

Hope you liked it! This is what I'd thought Aelita would be like.


	2. Ulrich Stern

**Setting:**

**Rating: K+**

**POV: Ulrich's POV**

My name is Ulrich Stern, and I am strong.

My mom is ok, but my dad is absolutely _impossible _to impress. He was a straight A student when he was my age, and expects me to be too. But I'm horrible at school, and get mostly D's and F's, always disappointing him. It doesn't help either that I have to skip classes and study time because we have to fight and evil AI that's out to kill us.

Since my grades are terrible, I pour all my energy into soccer, because that's the only thing about me that makes my dad proud.

I get all my happiness from my friends, since my parents don't supply any.

I wonder if they know what I'm going through. Horrible grades, disappointed dad, and I'm alone except for Yumi. People wonder why I'm so grumpy, and now you know why. I have to deal with my terrible dad, getting lousy grades, and Sissi every day.

I'm get jealous, and I have a good reason for it. Yumi is the only one I have, the only one I'm really close to. I'm not even that close to my parents. So when someone takes her away, the small fire of happiness I have is dimmed drastically.

I'm also sensitive for the same reason. My life is messed up already without having to deal with anything else, and after dealing with my dad, my terrible grades, an evil AI, and Sissi, I have little patience for anything else, especially Yumi being taken away from me.

Everyone has a part in our group, and mine is protector and fighter. I usually stay back to fight the polymorph, clone, or Xanafied victim while the others go to Lyoko. When I do go to Lyoko, it's my job to protect Aelita and the others at all costs.

Sometimes I wonder if they know how much I sacrifice, how hard my life is. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to go through this. Who am I kidding? I wish most of the time that I didn't have to go through this. Maybe once Xana is gone, I'll be able to pick up my life a little. But for now, I will remain strong.

My life isn't totally bad, though. I have great friends, and possibly even a girlfriend… Man, I must be redder than a cherry.

Maybe I can tell Yumi how I really feel….


	3. Friends

Friends

Setting: season 4

Rating: K

POV: Sissi's POV

I sat on a bench, watching as the gang chatted happily. This really got me ticked.

How could they be so happy? They aren't popular, they aren't cool, so why are they so happy all the time? I sighed. I had sent Nicholas and Herve away, wanting to be on my own.

I had worked so hard to keep my status. Being popular, always fashionable, and so cool. Yet, I watch everyone laugh, except Jeremy, who was obviously in some sort of argument or debate with Odd. Jeremy gave a comment back, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. Everyone laughed again, and it was now Odd's turn to be aggravated.

With a pang of sadness, I realize that I don't feel happiness like that when I'm with my friends. I'm friends with them because of my status, and I'm beginning to doubt the reason.

I continued watching, surprised that they haven't noticed me looking yet. Odd frowned, then it transformed into an impish grin as he made a comment. Jeremy and Aelita, who were leaning against the doors by the drink machine, flushed a dark pink. With a smug grin Odd made another comment, turning their cheeks from pink to red.

I sighed.

Usually I would take pleasure in seeing them blush like fools, but today it only reminded me of how I've never felt affection like that before. Of course, I still love Ulrich, but he hates me.

There's also Yumi… What does he see in that string bean? I realize my fists are balled up. I slowly open them, knowing full well that being angry would only lead me to try and breaking them up. From past experience, I know it doesn't work, and would only make Ulrich hate me more.

I wonder why it's taken me this long to realize that it's wrong.

Wait, am I jealous? No, I couldn't possibly be…. Who am I kidding? I'd love to be part of the group, experience the happiness that they do. Of course I couldn't do that though, because I've done so many things to them that I've only just realized is wrong. They wouldn't just forget that, and they have good reason to.

Why is Odd slinking over to me? He looks a little sullen.

"Hey Sissi," I heard him begin. "I was wondering if you might have an extra ticket for the concert tonight?" He never made eye contact, focusing somewhere else.

Of course I had tickets.

I frowned. "Aelita is the DJ. Doesn't she give you tickets?" I asked. "Well yeah, but I need an extra one for the girl I'm bringing…" I opened my mouth to refuse, and probably utter a snide comment too. But then I closed it with a frown, realizing that I would never get them to like me if I kept doing that.

I was going to refuse just because, but I didn't actually need it. Taking it out of my pocket, I held it out to him. "Here."

Odd stared at it like I was trying to him the wrong end of an electric rod. "What do you want for it?" he asked cautiously. "Nothing, you can have it. I'm not going to use it," I said. He eyed the ticket suspiciously and reached for it slowly as if it could bite. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to do anything," I sighed. "Just take it." I insistently pushed the ticket into his hand, and his fingers closed around it.

"I uh… thanks, Sissi," Odd said, staring at me with a confused expression. "You're welcome," I replied kindly, smiling at him. This was a genuine smile, with no malice, coldness, smugness, or sassiness. He looked back and forth to the ticket and my expression like I had just handed him a few gold bars for nothing in return.

Odd scurried off.

"I got it!" he exclaimed triumphantly, showing the others his ticket. "Wow, don't tell me you got it from Sissi!" Yumi exclaimed. Odd nodded with a frown. "Yeah, she gave it to me…"

Ulrich glared at him. "You'd better give that ticket back because I'm not going on a date with Sissi," he snapped.

Odd quickly shook his head, still frowning. "That's just it. She doesn't want to go on a date with you. She doesn't want anything! She even smiled at me. It's so weird…"

"You've probably gotten yourself into a trap, good buddy," Ulrich chided him. Odd shook his head again. "No, it wasn't that kind of smile. It was different, almost like nice…" he said. Almost as if on cue, everyone turned their heads to look at me.

I smiled and waved. "Hello," I said politely.

"Eh… Hello…" said Yumi and Ulrich. "Hi…" Aelita said. Jeremy gave a small smile and simply dipped his head in greeting. I turned and walked away, leaving the gang dumbfounded. "See what I mean?" I heard Odd say faintly. I sighed and shook my head. It would take a long time to get them to like me.

For the next few days, it would be that same routine. I would greet them with Hello's and Good mornings, and they would stare at me suspiciously, nonetheless responding.

A week passed, then two, then three. By this time, I was gaining their trust. Instead of replying to my greetings with awkward mutterings and confused expressions, they would reply warmly and smile back at me. Of course, it would take a while until I was actually in the group. Gradually, as the weeks passed, they became more and more friendly to me.

After about a month, they even invited me to their own table! It was great. They talked to me like I was part of their gang, and I felt happiness like I've never felt before. I have to admit, as they've invited me to hang out with them, my social status in school _has _been decreasing. But even though I'm not part of their group, I've never been happier, much less with my own friends.

So, I think I can deal with being unpopular to experience true happiness as they do….


	4. Rose

Rose

Setting: After season 4

Rating: K+

POV: Normal POV

Jeremy sat at his desk, staring at the pink rose on it.

He had seen it in a store and immediately got it for Aelita, knowing she would like it. If only he had the courage to actually _give _it to her.

He didn't know how she would react.

Aelita could just think of it as a small gift for a friend, or she could think of it as something more. _What do I want her to think? _Jeremy asked himself. His stomach was tied in knots, and his mouth was dry. He swallowed.

The boy didn't even know what he could say to her. More of his feelings had surfaced since they had defeated Xana, causing him to blush around her more often. Now, almost anytime he talked to Aelita, he would feel butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. Fortunately, Aelita didn't notice because she was feeling much the same way, just not as bad. Of course, Jeremy didn't know this.

With a large sigh, he stood and grabbed the rose, already feeling his stomach tied in knots. He walked to the door, and reached to open it before it opened before him. "Hey Jeremy I was wondering-" Ulrich said, stopping abruptly as his gaze traveled to and locked on the rose. A big grin broke out on his face even as Jeremy was attempting to hide the rose behind his back.

"That's for Aelita, isn't it?" he sang. Jeremy flushed a dark pink and smiled sheepishly, nodding.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ulrich asked. Jeremy looked up at him. The taller boy smiled and nodded encouragingly, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks," Jeremy muttered gratefully as he hurried out the door. As he ascended the stairs, his stomach fluttered with nervousness and his mouth was dry.

By the time he reached the top, Jeremy's stomach was in knots, his mouth was dry, and his heart was beating wildly against his chest. The blond boy walked swiftly down the hall, stopping before a door. He knocked on it.

The door swung open within a few seconds of the knock, and in the doorway was a pink haired girl. She smiled as she caught sight of Jeremy. "Hello Jeremy," Aelita greeted him brightly. "Hey Aelita," Jeremy began.

"Well, I… I wanted to give you this," he said, holding the light pink rose in front of him, unable to suppress a blush. Some surprise was mixed into her expression, and more happiness was added. "Thank you Jeremy," Aelita gushed as her cheeks took on the color of her hair, and she gently took the rose and breathed in its scent.

"What's the occasion?" the girl inquired. Jeremy turned crimson. "Nothing… I just thought you might like it, so… I wanted to give it to you," he said, shifting his gaze. "That's very sweet of you. I love it," she said, tilting her head up slightly to give him a kiss on the cheek. His eyes widened.

Aelita's cheeks turned from the color of her hair to the deeper pink of her outfit. She smiled shyly at Jeremy, who was staring into space, before stepping into her room and closing the door.

Jeremy stood there for a few moments before snapping back to reality. The only thoughts occupying his head were those of Aelita, her kiss, and the rose. Her liking it wasn't the _only_ reason for him giving her the rose.

In truth, he had given her the rose because in Jeremy's thoughts, the beautiful rose was reflecting the likeness of Aelita, _his _rose…


	5. Price

WARNING: Contains spoilers if you haven't seen season 4!

Price

Setting: after season 4

Rating: K+

POV: Aelita's POV

"It-It can't be, but… but it is," I heard Jeremy's incredulous voice. Truthfully, I was surprised too, but right now all I felt was sadness. "Aelita, we've done it. Xana is destroyed. I'll bring you home now," he said in a solemn voice. Jeremy typed in the devirtualization code for the very last time, and set the head set down for the very last time.

I felt tears come to my eyes and I raised my hand to wipe them away, not even sure if you were able to cry on Lyoko. I closed my eyes as I felt the familiar feeling of being virtualized into the real world washed over me.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a scanner, a multitude of emotions rushing toward me. The first was sadness, I discovered, as a wave filled with pain and loss washed over me. The scanner opened and I was only able to restrain a sob by biting my lip. The next feeling was weariness.

Staring at the ground, I barely lifted my feet to get out of the scanner. When I was out, I placed my hand on my aching head and let myself fall sideways, knowing that surely hitting the floor wouldn't even compare to the pain I was feeling right now. I would have fallen on the floor had Jeremy not caught me. He boldly wrapped his arms around my waist, shyness replacing his concern for me. I blinked, causing several tears to stream down my face as I looked at Odd.

He was a few feet away, staring at me with an expression of sympathy, sadness, and solemnness. I also thought I might have seen a glint of moisture in his eyes, but I didn't care.

More tears streaming as I repeatedly blinked, I looked up into Jeremy's face. His expression was much the same as Odd's, except it held something other than that. I knew it as concern and love for me.

I sighed, leaning my head against his chest.

I heard the doors to the elevator open, and presumably Ulrich and Yumi stepped out and stood next to Odd. I heard whispering and opened my eyes, seeing their expression turn sad like Odd's. Blinking once more, I settled my hands on Jeremy's shoulders. Looking over to the others, I saw Yumi blink as a single tear streamed down her face. Ulrich took her hand, causing her to look at him.

He was not crying, but his eyes were glassy.

He bowed his head, and Yumi and Odd followed suit. I stood, and turned around to face Jeremy. He dropped his arms from around me. I felt more tears, and I just let them come. I felt my lower lip tremble and was unable to stop it, letting out a soft cry none could hear except for Jeremy.

He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around me. Right now, I didn't think anything could feel that good. I put my arms around him, burying my head in his shoulder as I cried. I shook, now and then letting out a soft cry.

"Jeremy…" I cried softly.

"I'm here," he murmured softly. I sobbed in his arms, trembling and letting out cries. "Don't leave…" I managed past the lump in my throat. There was no way I could deal with this without Jeremy.

"Don't worry Aelita, I will never leave," he said softly but fiercely. "Thank you," I said quietly, grateful for his comfort. "It's ok," Jeremy replied, stroking my back.

Why was I crying you ask?

We just beat Xana, so I should be ecstatic along with the others. Finally, after two and a half years of fighting, far too many near death experiences, skipping, leaving, and failing classes, working all night, skipping meals, lying, deceiving, sacrificing good grades and who knows what else, and even good times, we've finally defeated him. So why isn't anyone happy? Because yes, we have defeated him, but at a horrible price.

My father's life.

Like it? Did it make you sad? Review and tell me. I'm not asking for praise or compliments, I want to know what you think.


	6. Mistletoe

Mistletoe

Setting: After season 4 (It's my favorite setting :P)

Rating: K+

POV: Normal POV

"Odd!" exclaimed Jeremy angrily.

"What are you making so much noise about?" Yumi inquired. "Look at me," he said. The whole gang stopped what they were doing, turning to face Jeremy. Grins broke out and there were a few snickers of unconcealed laughter. Jeremy glared.

He was sprawled on the floor, having knocked down by Odd. He was also covered in Christmas decorations, (also courtesy of Odd) and had a plastic bow stuck to his shoulder. They were supposed to be helping decorate the gym for the Christmas dance/party.

"At least help me get this off; I look like a Christmas present!" Jeremy snapped.

"That's one present Aelita would like to receive," Odd snickered with a grin, causing Jeremy and Aelita to both flush a deep crimson.

Nonetheless, they went over and untangled all the decorations from him. "Thank you," he said, standing and brushing himself off. Odd helped him put the decorations back in the bag. When they were done, he walked over to Jeremy and Ulrich with bows.

"What do you say guys? Ready to dress up so your girlfriends can receive a fitting Christmas present?" the blond asked with a grin. Everyone flushed the color of a tomato. Yumi and Aelita looked boys, then everyone quickly looked away as they made eye contact. Ulrich muttered something about Yumi being his 'good friend' and Jeremy mumbled something about Aelita not being his girlfriend.

Odd laughed his head off.

With a growl, Ulrich started to chase him. "Uh oh," Odd said, turning around and running in the other direction. "I'm going to kill you!" Ulrich exclaimed as he chased Odd around the gym. "Even when I'm gone, you know you'll still love Yumi!" he called over his shoulder.

If Ulrich's cheeks could have gotten any redder they would have. Since for once, they weren't the ones being teased, Jeremy and Aelita watched with mild amusement. "Don't break anything; It took over and hour to set up!" Aelita called. "Oh I'll break something!" Ulrich exclaimed. Odd let out a wild cry and tried running faster.

Two minutes later, both were lying sprawled on the floor, panting like dogs. "Having fun?" Jeremy asked, leaning over them. Odd swiped at him with a limp arm and Jeremy smiled, easily dodging.

"Looks like we're done," Yumi said, straightening the 'Merry Christmas!' banner. Jeremy surveyed the gym. "It looks good," he approved, nodding. "Hey Yumi, could you come here for a minute," Odd asked. He and Ulrich were sitting up.

"Sure," she said, walking over and sitting between him and Ulrich. Odd stood. Next, he took something small from his pocket and held it over their heads. "You guys walked right into that one!" he exclaimed, barely able to hold in his laughter. They looked up.

It was mistletoe.

They flushed the color of a cherry, and looked at each other. Ulrich could feel his heart hammering wildly against his chest. Yumi's cheeks were as red as his. Almost as if on cue, the two leaned in and gave each other a gentle kiss, square on the lips. They pulled away, smiling shyly at each other. They shifted their gaze.

Odd heard a chuckle in Aelita and Jeremy's direction.

"Now be nice," he chided, turning around. "Or I'll have to do it to you guys too!" Odd dangled the mistletoe threateningly in their direction. They scowled and shoved their hands in their pockets, nonetheless taking a step back and flushing scarlet.

"Ahh, mistletoe," Odd sighed, inspecting the tiny plant. "Always helps in bringing people together in love!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly a hand came and snatched it away. "No more of that," Ulrich chided. "Aw man!" Odd said. Ulrich stuffed the mistletoe in his pocket. Then they heard a loud noise. Everyone turned toward Jeremy. "Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. "I missed breakfast." He shrugged. "I'm pretty hungry too," laughed Aelita.

"Great!" exclaimed Odd. "Who's up for lunch?" Everyone eyed him with amusement before turning to walk out of the door. They looked at Jeremy and Aelita and grinned. The two teens looked at the others.

"Mind telling me what's so amusing?" Jeremy asked. In response, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi just looked up. Aelita and Jeremy followed their gaze to the mistletoe that Ulrich was holding above their head. They flushed an impressive shade of red the others had not thought possible of turning.

"Sorry," apologized Ulrich with a grin. "If we have to do it, you have to do it too." They both looked down at the same time, locking eyes on each other.

Without hesitation, but with much blushing, Aelita leaned forward and kissed Jeremy. He felt as if someone had taken his carefully thought out mind and grabbed various words and sentences, throwing them in the air and scrambling his brain. When she pulled away, his eyes were twice their normal size.

"Uh…" was all Jeremy's mind was capable of producing. Aelita smiled shyly at him before shifting her gaze to the others. "He didn't freeze this time," Odd noted. Aelita scowled at him.

Everyone laughed.

"Ah, tis' the season of the mistletoe, the small plant that helps love blossom!" Odd sighed. Everyone looked at him. "Yeah, I'm talking about you guys," he pointed around the small half-circle. Everyone flushed a dark pink.

Odd only grinned.

**That was hard to write... as you know, my fav couple is Jerlita (If you don't know by my stories and my Aelita avatar I honestly don't know what to say) and I did some YxU because I felt the YxU lovers deserved some. Even though I may write YxU, the stories will have more JxA I can tell you now. But I also promise to try and do some YxU in the stories too. Everyone happy?**


	7. Jeremy Belpois

Jeremy Belpois

Setting: Probably best around episode 80 or something….

Rating: K+

POV: Jeremy's POV

I know how they are. They think that I like to spend all my time around computers, technology. I guess it's not completely a lie. They think That I would rather stay on the computer than hang out with them. That's not true, I would much rather hang out with them, I just have so much work to do that _must _get done.

But, they don't know how hard it is. I'm always worrying about something. I worry about my friends, about Xana, about William, Franz Hopper, especially Aelita.

It's hard to have all the responsibility on my shoulders. Since I'm the smart one, I'm held responsible for the things that happen to my friends.

They think it's the easiest job in the world to 'sit in my comfy chair while they do all the work'. Let me tell you, it's not easy. When they go to Lyoko, I'm prepping a lot of stuff, looking at the radar, checking to make sure everything is in place.

If it's not, it's my job to fix it. I can't expect help from anyone, except for minimal help from Aelita. I'm also easily vulnerable to Xana's earth attacks, such as Xanafied victims.

Other than that, it's all up to me. It's also not very easy to sit and watch your friends fight, unable to do anything if things take a turn for the worst. They don't know how much torture it can be to sit and watch Aelita almost get thrown into the digital sea time and time again, courtesy of William.

There have been so many close calls, and I could do nothing.

So, as you can see, my life isn't exactly what you would call great.

There's also Aelita. I know she doesn't approve of my constant working; I know she wants me to spend more time with her. I'd love to, but I just have so much work to do. If I take a break, Xana could get ahead and we could lose the battle. If only she could understand! I'm so close to finding William.

She doesn't know how much she means to me. Aelita is my whole world. I care for her so much, but I don't think she knows this.

I think I also have feelings for her… I've never felt this way before, so I can't be sure. But I really think I do. Maybe Yumi can help me; I'm sure she knows more about it than I do. I would rather not talk about it, but I need help and I have no one else to turn to.

I obviously can't talk to Odd about it; all he would do is tease me. I can't talk to Ulrich because he probably has enough trouble with his feelings for Yumi. And of course I can't talk to Aelita about it, every time I try or do a small act of affection, such as holding her hand, I turn red as a cherry. See, I'm only just talking about her and I can already feel my cheeks getting hotter…

Maybe I can consult my parents about this. But first, I think I'll talk to Yumi. I wish things didn't have to be so complicated with Aelita and I. I wish I could just tell her how I feel, but it's not that easy.

I wonder if this is how Ulrich feels with Yumi. If so, perhaps I _should _have a talk with Ulrich.

We could help each other out.


	8. Weakness

Weakness

Setting: beginning of season 4

Rating: K+

POV: Aelita's POV

I wish I wasn't so weak.

The syphozoa is right behind me. I'm running as fast as I can, but I don't have much more room to run and I'm starting to run out of breath. With a cry, I stop at the edge of land. Spinning around, I materialize two energy fields, throwing one, then the other.

It dodges, wrapping tentacles around me.

Before my mind fled, I could hear a yell from Odd, too far away to do anything. Then darkness closed around me, and my will was gone. I don't know how long it took; the sensation was a timeless one.

The syphozoa dropped me to the ground, skulking away. I tried to stand, but blackness clouded my thoughts. I was unable to move anything. As if I were a puppet being controlled by strings, I stood, my movements robotic and almost inhuman.

My mind felt murky.

I could see, but couldn't think straight or control my actions. Odd aimed at me, and Ulrich had his sword pointed at me. I unwillingly conjured an energy sphere, throwing it at Odd with uncanny accuracy. He just managed to dodge it by throwing himself to the floor, rolling behind Ulrich, who at the moment was taking advantage and charging forward.

He let out a yell as he was struck in the leg, sprawling on the floor. By this time Odd had jumped to his feet, and was aiming. "Laser arrow!" he called. I had heard the cry enough to know what was happening. With unnatural talent I hadn't possessed before, I cart wheeled side ways and flipped, landing on my feet.

Both boys were again aimed at me, on their feet. I conjured two energy spheres and smiled maliciously, Xana symbol replacing my pupils. I shot both of them just at the two boys charged forward, Ulrich blocking it and Odd getting propelled backwards from the momentum of the attack. He was devirtualized. I somersaulted backwards, landing a good seven yards from him.

I ran for the tower.

Ulrich ran after me, and soon gained. With a quick glance behind me, I saw he was close and ready to throw his sword and devirtualize me. I also saw a hornet shoot him, devirtualizing _him_.

With a horribly evil laugh, I ran into the tower and floated to the second level. I wanted to do something; cry out, yell, scream, anything but this. My hand moved against my will, pressing my palm to the interface. AELITA flashed across the screen.

I tried not to, but entered the code. XANA flickered across the screen in red letters. The tower began to dissipate. My will returned; my mind cleared.

"No!" I was finally able to cry as the level beneath me disappeared. I landed on the ground and hastily jumped up, running in the opposite direction of the quickly vanishing plateau.

"Jeremy!" I panted, trying to pump my legs faster as the disappearing land got closer. "Almost got it; just hang on for a few more seconds," Jeremy's frantic voice sounded. "I don't know if I have a few seconds!" I screamed in panic. I had skidded to a stop at the edge of the land. "Jeremy…!" this came out more shrill or squeaky than I would have liked. "Almost there!" he yelled, and I swore I could hear his rapid-fire typing.

The land vanished from under me.

I cried out and plummeted toward the digital sea. "Done!" Jeremy cried. I heard a tap in the background as he presumably hit the enter key. I swear I felt the tip of my shoe dip in the sea before I was devirtualized.

I opened my eyes to see the yellow walls of the scanner.

Then I groaned and fell to my knees, weariness catching up to me as adrenaline seeped out of my system. I placed a hand on my throbbing head. Suddenly there was a hand on my arm, another grabbing my hand. I opened my eyes to Jeremy's comforting face. He gently pulled me up as I closed my eyes in guiltiness and shame, fighting tears.

I opened my eyes, and Jeremy must have seen the moisture in them. "It's ok," he murmured.

"I… I destroyed the desert sector," I said quietly, speaking past the lump in my throat. "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it," Jeremy reassured me. I knew it wasn't my fault, but I couldn't help feel guilty and shameful. It's because I'm the brittle piece; the weak link in the chain, the weak spot in an otherwise strong group.

I looked down as I felt tears leak out of my eyes. "Aelita…" Jeremy called my name softly. I looked up into his face. "It's ok. It's really not your fault," he said quietly, taking my hand and stroking it gently.

All the horrible memories came rushing back, and I softly squeezed his hand for support. The supercomputer was kept on because of me, because of _my_ antivirus. I have to be protected, because I'm weak. Sacrifices have been made for me that I would have rathered not.

"It's ok," Jeremy murmured again, gently leading me to the elevator. "Thank you," I whispered, leaning my head against is shoulder. He flushed scarlet.

In a quieter tone, so that Jeremy couldn't hear, I said: "I just wish I wasn't so weak…"

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update sooner, but my internet went out for who knows why... O_O Anyways, the internet came back today. Hope you like it.**


	9. Sharing

Sharing

Setting: right after season 4

Rating: K+

POV: normal

"I'm telling you, my high score is better than yours!" Odd exclaimed, shoving a croissant in his mouth. "And _I'm _telling you, if you check you'll see mine is better," Ulrich shot back. "Yeah rife!" Odd said, words distorted by a full mouth.

"Jeremy, please tell him that my high score is better," Ulrich said. "This is pointless," Jeremy responded, shaking his head and taking a sip of his hot chocolate. Suddenly Aelita came walking over with an empty tray, a glare on her face. She sat down with her arms folded, leaning back against the chair.

"Aren't you hungry?" Yumi asked, gesturing to the empty tray. "Yes," Aelita responded. "Then why didn't you get anything…?" she asked. "_Odd _took my portion," Aelita replied angrily, turning the glare to him. "I thought you weren't coming," he said defensively.

"I _overslept_," she said. "Then I got stuck behind Sissi in the shower line. She took _forever;_ I didn't even have time to dry my hair."

They only just then noticed that her hair was wet.

"It's okay, you can have some of mine," Jeremy offered, holding a croissant out to her. She politely refused. "No thank you, you need to make up for all the meals you skipped while working on the multi-agent program and finding William," Aelita said. "You need to eat," he insisted, pushing the croissant closer. Aelita pushed it away.

"So do you," she protested. "Yes but you do not have any food, whereas I have enough to give to you and still eat," he pointed out. "You mean just like you ate when the supercomputer was on," Aelita said sarcastically. "That was different," Jeremy protested. "How?" she challenged. "I wasn't eating because I was busy working, yet you aren't eating because Odd took your food," he said.

Everyone at the table turned their heads back and forth as they watched the exchange.

"Eat," Jeremy said, holding the croissant out to her. "No," Aelita refused. "Come on, I know you love croissants," he tempted. Aelita turned her head. "That's okay Jeremy, I'm not even hungry anymore," she said. As if to contradict her, a loud gurgling noise sounded. Aelita flinched.

Everyone looked at her. "Is that... your stomach?" Jeremy asked incredulously.

"I didn't hear anything," she lied. Jeremy sighed exasperatedly. "Look, I know you're hungry, so take the croissant. In fact, I've already had enough," he said, setting the small bite of croissant he had left on his plate and standing with his tray.

With a smile, he put the croissant in Aelita's empty plate and walked to dump his tray.

"I'll take it," Odd offered. Aelita glared at him and picked it up, taking a bite. She was halfway finished before Jeremy came back and sat down with no tray. It didn't even take a full minute for Aelita to finish it off.

"Looks like we have another Odd!" Yumi laughed. "Hey, I was just hungry," Aelita protested.

"Isn't sharing just great?" Odd asked. "You don't seem to think so," Aelita snorted.

Odd scowled and everyone laughed.


	10. Why

Warning: spoiler if you haven't seen at least season 4

Why

Setting: after season 4

Rating: K+

POV: Normal POV

"Has anyone seen Aelita?" Jeremy asked as he sat down for breakfast. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi shook their heads. "I'll call her," Yumi offered, pulling out her phone and dialing the number. "Thanks," Jeremy said. He started eating while Yumi momentarily stood and went to a corner of the room.

She came back shortly, reporting that she had only got voicemail.

Jeremy sighed. "Hey Jeremy, relax," Ulrich said. "She could have overslept or something," Odd pointed out. "I know…" Jeremy said. After one of his best friends had repeatedly gotten kidnapped and hurt by an evil AI, you couldn't really blame him for being worried. He was always on edge when it came to Aelita.

"I'm going to go check her room," Jeremy said, standing up and pushing his tray to Odd. He dug in while Ulrich and Yumi watched Jeremy leave.

A minute later he was in front of her dorm, stomach churning with nervousness. Jeremy gently rapped his knuckles three times against the door. "Aelita…? It's me, Jeremy; are you there?" he called hesitantly. "Come in," came her quiet voice.

Jeremy sighed with relief until he realized her voice sounded different. He opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. Aelita was dressed in her normal dark pink dress with light pink knee-high tights. She was barefoot with her legs folded neatly underneath herself, sitting on the bed.

The pink haired girl had a picture in her hand.

She looked upset, and Jeremy saw her quickly raise her hand to her eyes. _Why would she be doing that? _He wondered. Aelita could be crying, but she hardly ever cried. That was actually impressive for a girl with her amount of stress.

"Aelita, are you all right?" Jeremy asked, walking over to her bed. "Yes, I'm just…" she didn't finish her sentence. The picture she was holding was her father, none other than Franz Hopper.

Aelita felt tears pushing their way out of her eyes, despite her valiant efforts to stop them. So as not to get her bed dirty, Jeremy kicked off his shoes and sat next to her. Aelita tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, but all it did was give her the needed air to start crying.

Hot, salty, tears full of loss, sorrow, grief, and loneliness streamed down her face, splashing on the photo. Up until now, Jeremy had been studying the photo, but he looked up when the tears fell. Aelita made eye contact and quickly turned her head away, not wanting Jeremy to see her tears.

Of course the boy had already seen them, and he put a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Is anyone there?" it was Yumi. "Yes," Aelita replied before Jeremy could say anything.

"Aelita; can we come in?" it was Odd's voice this time. Aelita didn't answer, so the door opened a crack. The group witnessed the small scene on her bed.

Aelita quickly turned away and put a hand on the side of her face. It was bad enough she was crying in front of Jeremy; she didn't want to be seen crying in front of _all_ her friends. Unseen by Aelita, Jeremy shook his head slightly and cocked it, hinting that they should go.

They nodded and started to close the door, but Yumi kept it open a crack and popped her head in.

"There's no shame in crying Aelita," she said softly. Only then did she have the courage to make eye contact with Yumi. Aelita blinked and more tears streamed down her cheeks. She nodded her thanks. Yumi dipped her head back, gazing at her solemnly before closing it.

Once she was gone, Jeremy had the courage to slip her hand into his. Aelita looked at him and just continued crying. "I miss him Jeremy," she cried in a broken voice. "I know you do Aelita," he said softly.

Now she was sobbing, not just crying. Aelita looked absolutely miserable.

The blond boy murmured some comforting words to her, but they didn't seem to do anything but make her cry harder. Overcoming his shyness, Jeremy wrapped an arm around Aelita and pulled her closer. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but blush a little. She collapsed sobbing into his embrace.

Jeremy held her trembling form and she complied, wrapping her arms around him. "It's ok," he murmured. She cried into his shoulder.

Aelita cried, and cried, and cried all the tears she had held in since her father's death. To Jeremy's infinite surprise, she lifted her head, brushed a gentle kiss against his cheek, and blushed.

Aelita then laid her head back on her shoulder, seeming content. Jeremy flushed a deep crimson. "Wh-What was that for?" Jeremy stammered, a little light headed. "I think you know," Aelita murmured, flushing the same color as Jeremy. Indeed, Jeremy was pretty sure he knew why.


	11. Wow

Wow

Setting: after season 4

Rating: K+

POV: Ulrich's POV

I sighed for the fifth time in less than that many minutes.

I was sitting on a bench, watching Jeremy and Aelita dance at the prom. It was actually a funny story on how they went together. It was Aelita's first prom, so she was both nervous and excited. Of course she wanted to go with Jeremy, but was just too shy to ask.

Odd had goaded Jeremy into admitting that he wanted to go to the prom with Aelita, and she had accidently overheard the conversation and immediately accepted.

I found myself grinning as I remembered the spectacle…

"_Come on, I know that you want to go with her, why don't you ask?" Odd asked Jeremy. I was on the other side of Odd, listening intently. Jeremy mumbled something incomprehensible. He was already a shade of red I hadn't thought possible of turning. "Ok, at least answer me this," Odd said, "you do want to take Aelita to the prom, right?"_

_Jeremy shoved his hands in his pockets before looking away and murmuring a yes. _

"_Really?" asked a familiar soft voice behind me. Jeremy's eyes widened and he stiffened. Odd and I both spun around to find Aelita. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she was staring intently into Jeremy's eyes. He looked away, embarrassed. "Wow… did you really… just hear all of that?" Jeremy asked sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. They had actually been debating for several minutes to try and convince Jeremy to ask Aelita out. She was walking up to them when she had heard her name and stopped to listen. Until now, my taller and broader body had concealed her small form. _

"_Yes," Aelita said, walking closer to Jeremy. She was blushing almost as badly as he. _

"_Ah well, um… what did you think?" Jeremy finally asked after a few seconds of awkward silence. Aelita responded by hugging him. His flushed, surprised, but slightly happy face was visible during the hug, and Odd grinned and gave him two thumbs up. While I couldn't resist a grin and wouldn't be silly like Odd, I wasn't above winking at him. Aelita whispered what must have been a yes in his ear before pulling away. She walked away smiling with her hands in her pockets and still flushed cheeks. _

_Jeremy just stared after her, smitten._

And that was how they had gotten together.

I stared once more as they danced. Despite his protests, Jeremy was actually pretty good at dancing. Yumi was right; they were good together, despite the fact that their cheeks were redder than a tomato. I couldn't hold back another sigh.

If only I had the courage to ask Yumi to dance. _You do. Remember, Jeremy asked Aelita to dance, _a little voice in my head told me._ If he can do it, I can do it, _I told myself.

I looked at Yumi, who was sitting next to me. I had asked her to the prom, but didn't actually ask her to _dance _yet. She was watching Jeremy and Aelita, and was apparently thinking along the same lines as me.

_If he can do it, I can do it. If he can do it, I can do it. If he can do it, I can do it. _It was like a recording played over and over in my head. "Hey Yumi, do you want to dance?" I blurted, cringing as I heard how hasty and nervous it was. She looked at me in surprise, and I felt my cheeks taint what at least had to be a dark pink.

"I'd love to," she responded, blushing almost as badly as me.

I stood up and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her up with me. As we went to the dance floor I panicked, realizing I didn't know how to dance. Nonetheless, I slipped my arm around her waist and another on her shoulder. She put both of her hands on my shoulders, which looked kind of weird since she was at least a head taller than me.

To my relief, we sort of swayed to the music instead of _really _dancing. My stomach churned with nervousness; my heart pounded wildly against my chest. I hoped Yumi couldn't hear it.

Right now, I was pretty sure we looked as red as Jeremy and Aelita.

"This is nice," Yumi finally murmured, breaking the silence. "Yeah," I breathed. We swayed for a few more moments. As if on cue, we suddenly leaned in, our lips meeting. My eyes widened.

It was so… so…. There were so many sensations; the only way to describe it was absolutely amazing. After a few seconds we pulled away with flushed cheeks and smiles on our faces. _Wow! _I thought, breaking eye contact.

Yes, that was the one way to describe the kiss.

Wow.

**-Gasp- she wrote YxU! Yes, yes, I did. Sorry if it wasn't as good, I'm not really used to writing it. Anyway, some people wanted some YxU, so I gave it to them. Happy? :) But! Stay tuned, next one will be YxU also. No no, Jerlita lovers, don't complain. You know I like Jerlita better, so don't worry, they'll be more of each. Until next time! ~Adventurer411 was here~**


	12. In my arms

In My Arms

Setting: season 4

Rating: K+

POV: Normal POV

"Ok, but I'm still going to win," Yumi said playfully. "In your dreams," Ulrich replied.

Yumi had beaten him, but Ulrich had complained that he wasn't ready. She agreed to a rematch. They backed up on the mat and bowed to each other, then began circling. "Yah!" Yumi went in with a punch to the shoulder. Ulrich jumped to the side and swung his foot up in an arc, but she caught it and yanked him. He fell to the floor and rolled, avoiding Yumi's capture. Both of them jumped back up.

Odd watched intently from the sidelines, while Jeremy and Aelita sat together with the laptop, working on finding William.

Ulrich started this time with a kick in the stomach, but once again Yumi caught it. Ulrich suddenly yanked his foot down, and the movement caused Yumi to jerk forward. She took advantage and rolled through his spread legs, ending up behind him. Ulrich spun to face her at the same time she jumped up.

Yumi spun and crouched, knocking Ulrich's legs from under him. On the way down, he managed to grab her arm. She came falling down, landing straight on top of him. Yumi pushed herself up and grunted as she struggled to pin his arms on the ground. It was similar with Ulrich, except that he was pushing on her shoulders, trying to get her off.

Suddenly they stopped struggling and blushed, realizing their close proximity.

Odd whistled.

"ODD!" They exclaimed, each turning their heads. "What?" he asked innocently, impish smile forming on his face. With a sigh, Yumi rolled off of Ulrich and onto the mat beside him. They laid there for a few minutes.

"Just what we need," Jeremy's voice disturbed the silence. "What?" three voices chorused, all heads turning to Jeremy and Aelita. "Activated tower," they said in unison. Everyone jumped up as Jeremy closed the laptop. He slipped it into the case and put it on his back, following the others through the tunnel in the gym.

They rode their vehicles down the sewer, and climbed up the ladder. Odd opened the porthole. Next came Ulrich, then Yumi, then Jeremy, who reached to help Aelita. She kicked it closed with her foot and they ran to the entrance. Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita swung down the ropes and landed on the floor. Jeremy swung down without incident, but Yumi lost her grip halfway down, caused by the sweat on her palms.

"Yumi!" Ulrich yelled, looking up. The others looked up and gasped.

Yumi prepared to bend her knees and roll so as not to get hurt as badly when she landed. Instead, she landed straight into Ulrich's arms.

They looked at each other and blushed. "Thanks," Yumi said shyly. "Ah, your welcome," Ulrich replied awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "This is the second time you fell on me," he joked with a nervous laugh, cringing inwardly as to how lame it sounded. Yumi chuckled. "The first time, it was your own fault," she smiled at him.

"Well, I wouldn't have done it if you wouldn't have knocked my legs," Ulrich replied as a matter-of-factly. "Ok, ok, break up the love fest," Odd sighed. They blushed again.

Everyone got into the elevator. "I call shotgun on the skid!" Odd exclaimed. Aelita looked at him. "Odd, you know that there's no shotgun on the skid," she smiled. "Well there should be," Odd replied.

"Nah…. I don't think I could deal with having you right by me while I'm piloting. You'd drive me nuts, not to mention, Xana too," Aelita snorted as the elevator doors closed. "He could be a potentially dangerous weapon," Jeremy noted. Everyone laughed.

**-NEWS FLASH-NEWSFLASH-NEWSFLASH-!**

Ahem. Now that I've got your attention, (Nothing gets it better in writing than bold print, huh?) I would like to announce that if you would like, you could send me idea. I'm being honest when I say I've still got some, but I'm interested to see what you could come up with for me to write about. Anyway, if you would really like to see me write about an idea or just to see what I can come up with, I'd rather you PM with the idea, not review.

**-NEWS FLASH-NEWSFLASH-NEWSFLASH-!**

Never gets old. This is what I really wanted to tell you. Are you ready for the biggest, bestest, longest, fluffiest chapter yet? -crickets- ...O_O... No? Well TOO BAD. For my 20th story (And I know that this is only my 12th, but I'm just announcing it) I will be doing a Prom special! What will it be, you ask? JxA? YxU? OxSam? The answer is, ALL OF THE ABOVE. Yes, that's why it's the prom special. They'll have JxA for Jerlita lovers, YxU for Yulrich lovers, and OxSam for people that love OddxSam. Everyone can read about their favorite couple fluff and be happy! :) I would have rathered it to be the 50th, but I just can't wait that long. :) This chapter will be longer than the others, although I don't know how long.  
Review, and tell me what you think about the 20th Story Prom Special!


	13. Melting Snow

Melting Snow

Setting: after season 4 (Come on people you know I love this setting)

Rating: T

POV: normal

"Hey!" Yumi exclaimed as Odd threw a snowball at her. "What? It's called a _snowball fight, _remem-?" he was cut off as a snowball hit him square in the face, knocking him off balance and making the blond stumble to the ground. "I think you need to work on your snowball fighting skills good buddy," Ulrich grinned as Jeremy and Aelita let out a laugh.

"Hey, no fair!" Odd exclaimed as he jumped back up. "_What? It's called a snowball fight, remember?_" Ulrich mimicked.

"Take this!" Odd threw a snowball at him, but Ulrich ducked and it hit Yumi instead. She wiped the snow off of her face as Odd gulped. "Ooh, you're going to be sorry!" Yumi yelled, taking a snowball and throwing it at him.

He ducked.

The snowball hit Jeremy in the face, knocking his glasses off. "Hey!" Jeremy brushed the snow off of his face. Odd threw another snowball, but it once again hit Jeremy. "Guys; stop that!" He exclaimed once again, dropping to his knees to try and find his glasses. "Help me find my glasses! I can't see anything," the no-longer-bespectled blond boy said as he dug blindly in the snow.

Yumi and Odd ran over to help. Aelita chuckled as she sat on a bench next to Ulrich. "That's Jeremy," he sighed.

Aelita and Ulrich watched them dig in the snow for a while before Aelita spotted a little black sticking out of the white. "Come on guys, it can't be that hard to find black glasses in snow. Xana broke who knows how many pairs, and my parents will be really mad if I lose this pair," Jeremy sighed.

Aelita went over and picked them up, settling on the snowy ground behind him. "Jeremy, I've got your glasses," she said. "Hm?" Jeremy inquired, lifting then turning his head. At the same time Aelita leaned forward with glasses in hand, intending to put them on. Instead, their lips met in an accidental kiss just as Aelita slipped his glasses on. She immediately flushed scarlet, her finger frozen on the bridge of Jeremy's glasses.

He blushed the same color as they quickly pulled away, each trying to apologize. "Um, sorry," Jeremy muttered, shifting his gaze to the snow. "Oh, that's ok," Aelita answered quickly.

"Guys, what are you doing over there? It's cold out here," Ulrich called, rubbing his sleeves and settling into their mini-circle. "Well, you won't have to worry about that," Odd grinned, "If they keep blushing like this, they'll melt all the snow!"

Jeremy just blushed harder and Aelita did the same, also preferring to pick up a snowball and hit Odd in the face with it. "Hey!" he exclaimed, brushing snow off his face.

"I'm sorry; I can't help it if you're crazy about Einstein," the blond snickered. "I'm not crazy about Jeremy," Aelita protested, wondering if her cheeks could get any hotter. "_Sure_ you're not," Odd said sarcastically.

"Remember what you told me last Valentine's day?" he asked with a smirk. Aelita's eyes darted quickly to Jeremy and back to Odd. "I told you not to tell anyone," she hissed, glaring at him. "Oops… Too late," Odd laughed nervously. Aelita's jaw dropped open.

"Odd, why don't you come here for a moment?" she asked in a dangerously calm voice. Odd shook his head vigorously. "No, I think I'll stay right here," he said. Aelita stood, walking slowly over to him.

He gulped and stood, slowly backed away.

Aelita launched herself at Odd and started chasing him. He turned tail and fled. "ODD DELLA ROBBIA, YOU ARE DEAD!" she screamed. Odd let out a wild cry and ran faster.

"This is why I don't make her mad," Jeremy said as a-matter-of-factly, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. Yumi and Ulrich laughed, watching a flushed and angry Aelita chase Odd.

**Sorry about the really late update, but I have things to do from 8:00-12:00, so I can't work until then. I also had a softball game, so that put me a bit behind schedule. I'll work hard and try to get us back on track… **

**Hmm. After I finish this, maybe I should start making just plain Jerlita dabbles in a different story. Anyway, Yulrich lovers, get ready! Next two stories: 'Attack at the pool' and 'Attack at the gym' Oh yeah! (Sorry if this chapter isn't as good. I'm finishing it right now at 9:30pm and my brain is a bit murky)**


	14. Attack at the Pool

Attack at the Pool

Setting: Right before episode 72

Rating: T

POV: normal

As Yumi climbed up the high dive, she saw Ulrich watching her from the corner of her eye. _I can't believe he's spying on me again! _She thought. Upon arriving at the top, the black haired girl looked down into the pool and stole a quick glance at Ulrich before spreading her arms and bending her knees.

She jumped and placed her hands together, executing a nearly perfect dive.

Yumi gulped a breath before she hit the surface, water sliding around her aerodynamic body. As she turned up, her feet brushed the bottom and a few seconds later her head broke the surface with a mild gasp. After swimming to the edge, she walked over to Ulrich.

"Why are you here?" she asked bluntly. Ulrich shrugged. "To swim, of course."

Yumi narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say more when an iron grip on her wrist stopped her. "Jim?" she asked curiously. He growled and his pupils flashed. Yumi let out a cry as Jim started to drag her. "Let go of her!" Ulrich yelled, giving him a kick.

It knocked Jim off balance and he flailed before falling into the pool, still gripping Yumi's wrist and dragging her into the pool too. "Stubborn," Ulrich muttered as he jumped in after them.

He swam to the bottom, where Jim was pinning Yumi. She was struggling, but growing weaker. Ulrich punched his arm, causing the hand to jerk open and release Yumi. Ulrich gave her a shove toward the surface and used Jim's face as a launch pad to shove himself. Both broke the surface and gasped, Yumi coughing.

"You okay?" he asked her. She nodded and started to swim to the edge of the pool when Ulrich was yanked under by his foot. "Ulrich!" Yumi cried, going under. Ulrich gritted his teeth and tried to lift his arms, but Jim was on top of him, effectively pinning his arms and legs.

Yumi kicked Jim and he went a little off balance, allowing Ulrich to free his legs and kick him in the stomach. The upward momentum sent Jim to the surface, rendering Ulrich free.

He swam up, but at the same time, Yumi had already started swimming down to help him. As they opened their eyes to see each others blurry shapes, their lips met.

Their eyes widened and apparently, you _can _blush underwater.

Ulrich and Yumi hastily swam up to the surface, going to the wall. They scrambled out to be met by Odd's incredulous stare. "What- how? Why did you?" he spluttered. They turned red.

"Hey, this is just between us, okay?" Ulrich asked. Yumi nodded, but Odd seemed to be considering it as he smirked. "Hmm, I don't know…"

"Odd!" they both exclaimed. He held his hands up in a mock surrender fashion. "Okay, okay, I promise not to tell."

They would have had him confirm the promise a bit more, but as a Xanafied Jim climbed out of the water, they realized that for now, it would have to do.

**Sorry for the late update... but hey, at least I update more than once a week. I know, I'm horrible :) Anyway, hoped you liked it. Next up, attack at the gym!**


	15. Attack at the Gym

Attack at the Gym

Setting: Before episode 72

Rating: T

POV: normal

"Oof!" Jeremy exclaimed as he fell back on the mat. "Belpois! Are your muscles made of Jell-O or what?" Jim barked.

Jeremy sighed and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. He went to his position by Aelita and sat back down. She put a consoling hand in his shoulder.

Jeremy shrugged it off. "I hate the climbing wall," he grumbled.

"Miss Stones, perhaps you can show your boyfriend how to climb," Jim snorted. Aelita ducked her head in embarrassment as she and Jeremy blushed profusely and everyone snickered. "Sir, he's not my"- Jim cut her off. "Move it!"

Aelita sighed and stood, putting a hand to the side of her face to try and hide her flushed cheeks.

She put gripped a handhold when the bell rang. "You will climb next class," Jim informed her. "Class dis"- He stopped in the middle of his sentence and twitched. His expression hardened. "Class dismissed. Everyone may go," he said in a flat voice. Everyone turned to go, but a final sentence stopped them.

"Everyone may go, _except _for Della Robbia, Stones, and Belpois."

The rest of the children left as the said three looked at each other before walking back over to Jim. He eyed them with malice and walked over to the doors, shutting them. They looked at each other again, this time, albeit more suspicious. "Why did you want us Jim?" Aelita asked, voice laced with cautiousness.

He didn't answer, only flashing an evil grin as his pupils were replaced by the Xana symbol.

"I think he's angry," Odd chimed as he backpedaled slowly with the others. Jim let out a growl and started chasing them. "Split up!" Jeremy yelled as he turned and ran. Odd ran to the right, and Aelita to the left. Of course, he went after Jeremy, the slowest.

"AH!" Jeremy let out a scream as a blast of electricity hit him in the back. He lay stunned on the floor. "Jeremy!" Aelita cried as she stopped running for a moment.

As if he were strolling in the park, Jim leisurely walked toward Jeremy and picked him up by the neck. Jeremy let out strangled screams as his glasses fell and he gripped Jim's wrist, trying in vain to escape the ironclad hold. Suddenly he was dropped to the floor as Jim was hit in the back with a football.

Jeremy gasped and coughed, putting a hand on his throat as Jim turned around. Aelita ran over, dropping to one knee and putting a hand on his arm. "Are you ok?"

The question sounded lame. He was just strangled and electrocuted at the same time, and she asked if he was _ok_. Of course he wasn't, but it must be a reflex thing. If someone gets hurt, you tend to automatically as if they're ok, and that's exactly what Aelita did.

Jeremy nodded, hand still on throat as he gasped more air.

"Want to play football?" Odd asked Jim as he held a football up in the air. He growled. "I guess not," Odd shrugged as he chucked the football at him and ran. Amazingly, Jim caught the football and started chasing him.

"You had your chance to play!" Odd exclaimed as he zigzagged around the gym. "You can't now!"

Apparently Jim thought different as he threw the football, hitting Odd in the stomach and propelling him backwards. He slammed against the wall and slid down to the floor, laying on his side and clutching his stomach. "Nice throw," the blond muttered bitterly.

Ignoring the basketballs, Jim grabbed the whole rack and chucked it Aelita, who was trying to help Jeremy up. "Get down!" he yelled, yanking Aelita to the floor as he fell back down himself. Aelita fell on top of him, their lips meeting. They both blushed madly even as the rack flew overhead, slamming into the wall and becoming an unrecognizable jumble.

Aelita jerked her head back, staring at Jeremy with a burning intensity.

"I uh, sorry about that," she apologized as Jeremy stared at her with a slightly open mouth. Suddenly Aelita's head whipped around. "LOOK OUT!" she screamed, jerking herself to the side and causing them to roll away. This time Jeremy was on top, and their lips met in another accidental kiss. Blushing once again, Jeremy pulled back as a basketball backboard slammed into the floor where they had been not two seconds before.

"We should move," Aelita said, snapping Jeremy out of his trance. "Oh- uh, yeah, r-right," the flustered boy said as he pushed himself up, offering Aelita a hand. She took it and got up, running with Jeremy as Jim hurled basketballs at them. "Oh no," the pinkette gasped as they got cornered.

"Try the locker room!" Jeremy said frantically, back up as Jim advanced threateningly, hands and arms charged with electricity. "It's locked!" Aelita responded as she tried to force the door open. Jim gave an evil grin and a growl to match before picking Jeremy up by the neck.

"Ahh!" he choked out as electricity ran up and down the length of his body. He gripped Jim's wrist in vain as he tried to free himself.

The possessed gym teacher cackled and threw him against the wall.

Jeremy let out another cry that was cut short as he hit the wall with a thud, sliding onto the floor with ruffled hair and glasses askew on his face. "Jeremy!" Aelita cried as she ran over to him, falling to her knees. His eyelids fluttered. Suddenly there was a thud behind her and Aelita turned to see Jim face down on the floor along, with a bowling ball and Odd standing behind him with a grin.

"He wasn't very good at bowling," he sighed and shook his head. "Where in the world did you get a bowling ball?" Aelita inquired as she placed a hand on Jeremy's arm. "I'd rather not talk about it," Odd grinned. "How's Einstein?"

"Unconscious; I think," Aelita frowned as she shook him gently. "Jeremy, Jeremy, wake up!" she murmured. His eyelids opened halfway.

"Oh, hey, hi Aelita," he said deliriously. "Did I ever tell you that you are very pretty? Both of you." He grinned stupidly. Odd shook his head. "Even if he's not fully conscious, he's still crazy about you." Aelita scowled at Odd as a light blush sprinkled her cheeks.

"Yes, very pretty," Jeremy muttered to himself as his eyes glazed over and his head slumped backwards. "Jeremy!" Aelita exclaimed exasperatedly, shaking him a bit more. "Maybe he'll wake up if you kiss him," Odd suggested. "I'm not doing that," Aelita snapped as her cheeks got redder.

Odd shrugged. "Sorry about this, Jeremy," he said before taking his glasses off and slapping a cheek. Aelita gave a sharp intake of breath as Jeremy jerked awake. "Ouch!"

"Odd, why did you do that?" Aelita asked. "He's up now, isn't he?" Odd asked as he slipped Jeremy's glasses onto his nose. "Oh, my head," he groaned as he rubbed his throbbing forehead. "No time! Jim will wake up any minute!" Odd exclaimed, jumping up. Aelita helped Jeremy up as he opened his mouth to inquire, closing it when he saw the bowling ball.

As they rode their vehicles to the sewer, Jeremy couldn't help but notice the grin on Odd's face. "Why are you wearing that big grin?" he asked uneasily.

"You guys kissed. Twice!" he laughed as the two said people blushed furiously.

"Hey Odd, this is just between us three, ok?" Aelita asked, turning her head as she attempted to hide her blush. "Fine, fine…" he snickered. "We're serious Odd. No telling Ulrich, Yumi, or anyone else," Jeremy added. "Don't you guys trust me?" he pouted.

Jeremy and Aelita looked at each other before answering in unison.

"No."

**-ANNOUNCEMENT-****ANNOUNCEMENT-ANNOUNCEMENT-**

I just love bold print. As you can see, I am a bit of a procrastinator, but at least I updated more than once a week. But really, I wanted to say that I am going on vacation for a week and will be leaving this Monday. Why am I telling you this? Because, during the vacation, I will be occupied of course, so I will be unable to update. I'll try and get in as much as I can, but don't be disappointed if there is no update. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I'll try and get another chapter in tomorrow before I leave. Stay sharp,

~Adventurer411~


	16. Boy Thing

Boy Thing

Setting: After season 4

Rating: K+

POV: normal

Glancing around to make sure that no one was looking, Jeremy walked swiftly toward the gates. He had almost reached them before a voice stopped him. "Where you going, Einstein?" Jeremy flinched, stopping in his tracks. "Uh, you know, to go pick up some things…" he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Can I come? I'm bored," Odd said, walking over. "No!" Jeremy hastily exclaimed. Odd raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, I mean; I'm just going get some cleaning supplies for my glasses from the little store down the street. It's boring," he said quickly. "You probably wouldn't want to come."

Odd shrugged. "Whatever," he said, walking back the way he had come. Jeremy relaxed, sighing with relief. He hurried out the gates before anyone could challenge him anymore. Walking down the street, he stopped and waited to cross. When the car light turned red, went with the small cluster of about four to the other side.

Turning right, the bespectacled boy genius walked for about a minute before going into a store. It was the florist's. Hearing a small ding from the bell as he walked inside, Jeremy was greeted with the surprise of seeing the back of a boy who was a bit taller than him, wearing a dark green jacket, and had brown hair.

"Ulrich?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. The brunette spun around. "Oh, hey," he said.

"Why are you here?" Jeremy asked.

"Uh well, um." Ulrich blushed lightly. "I could ask you the same question," he shot back, tone accusing. Jeremy felt his cheeks get hot. "I asked you first," he said. Ulrich shifted uncomfortably. "I well, um…"

A knowing smile formed on Jeremy's lips.

"Tomorrow is Valentine's day. Are you here to buy flowers for Yumi?" he asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear Ulrich confirm it. "Well, um, yeah," he confessed, shifting his gaze as his cheeks turned from pink to crimson. "And what about you? You're here to buy flowers for Aelita, aren't you?" Ulrich asked.

Jeremy blushed and smiled bashfully as he closed his eyes, scratching the back of his head. "Well, yes," he admitted.

"Is that you, Jer bear?" came a voice. He opened his eyes to see the girl selling flowers, who looked about eighteen. She had a long blond ponytail with a streak of purple in it, and was wearing a hot pink T-shirt that said _Flo's Flowers_, in big, bubbly, red, letters. "That is you! Long time no see, huh Jer?" she chirped.

Jeremy sighed and smiled. "Hey, Leanne. How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

Leanne smiled and shrugged. "Lots. Anyway, how've you been?" she asked, voice full of cheerfulness. "Wait, wait," Ulrich interrupted. "You guys know each other?"

Jeremy and Leanne nodded simultaneously.

"I met this guy at a collage course last summer," she grinned, ruffling his hair. "He's a real braniac."

Jeremy tried to fix his hair. "Tell me something I don't know," Ulrich snorted. "He's without a doubt the smartest out of all the kids and maybe even _teachers _in our school," he said with a grin. "Oh; he goes to your school?" the girl asked, tilting her head. "Yeah. I've been his friend for years," Ulrich answered.

"Ah! Cool," Leanne smiled.

"How exactly did you guys meet?" Ulrich asked curiously. "Remember that one-week collage course I took last summer?" Jeremy asked. "Yeah," Ulrich responded.

"I met Leanne there. When I got there, of course, everyone was a lot older than me. I was picked on and teased. People were always telling me that these classes would be way too hard for someone my age," Jeremy explained. Ulrich grinned. "I'd like to see their faces when they figured out that you were smarter than them." Jeremy smiled and continued.

"Leanne wasn't mean to me though. She showed me around, and was also my partner for the first project. She hung out with me, and soon everyone kept on picking on her too, telling her that they were sorry that she was going to get such a bad grade because she was partnered up with me." By now, Ulrich could barely hold in laughter.

"But we proved um' wrong, didn't we Jer?" Leanne asked with a grin. "Yeah. You should have seen everyone. We both got a nearly perfect grade. Ours was the highest," Jeremy said proudly, grinning triumphantly with Leanne. Ulrich busted out laughing, doubling over with his hands on his knees. "They should've known better," he forced out through laughter.

"No one picked on us again, and a few people even apologized," Leanne said happily. Ulrich straightened. "Man, I would've loved to see that."

Leanne bent over and put her elbows on the counter, chin resting in her hands. "It was fun," she admitted. "So, anyway, what brings you here?" Jeremy opened his mouth to answer, but Leanne cut him off. "Ooh, let me guess! It's Valentine's Day tomorrow. Getting flowers for your special girl?" she asked with a huge grin, elbowing him gently in the side.

Ulrich smiled with amusement as Jeremy blushed profusely, shifting his gaze.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend Jer!" Leanne exclaimed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "That's because I uh, don't," he responded, blushing more than ever. Leanne frowned.

"Is it healthy to be that shade of red?" she asked. Jeremy buried his face in his hands, the red on his face easily seen through his fingers. "For _Jer bear _it is," Ulrich chuckled. Jeremy groaned.

Leanne peered at him.

"I'm sorry Jer, am I embarrassing you?" she asked. "Only a little," Jeremy mumbled through his hands. Ulrich tried to hold back laughter. "What about your friend? Buying flowers for someone special too?" the blond girl asked. Ulrich blushed. "Yeah," he said. "Ooh, that's great! What's your girlfriend's name?" Ulrich shifted his gaze as his cheeks darkened. "Her name is Yumi, and she's not my girlfriend," he muttered.

Leanne shrugged. "Jer, what about your girl?" Jeremy removed his hands from his face. "Aelita. Her name is Aelita," he said. "Okay. So, what flowers can I get you boys?" Jeremy and Ulrich looked at each other. "Why don't we get the bouquet of ten?" Jeremy asked. "Five for me to give to Aelita, and five for you to give to Yumi."

Ulrich nodded. "Sounds good."

"What color?" Leanne asked. "Can we get them in different colors?" Jeremy asked. "Sure," she responded. Ulrich looked to Jeremy questioningly. "I um, wanted to get Aelita some pink ones, but I know Yumi doesn't like pink," he explained, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "Oh, okay," Ulrich shrugged.

"Uh, five pink ones, and…" Jeremy looked at Ulrich. "Oh yeah. Five pink and five red please," he said. "Coming right up," Leanne chirped. She grabbed the roses and wrapped up the bouquet. Jeremy and Ulrich each paid half. "Your girlfriends are going to love these!" Leanne beamed.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Jeremy and Ulrich exclaimed in unison, blushing. They looked at each other and back to Leanne. She looked surprised before laughing. "Whatever you say!" After exchanging money for flowers, Ulrich took the bouquet.

"It was nice seeing you again Jer!" Leanne waved as they walked toward the door. "You too," Jeremy responded. "Don't forget to visit!" she called as they walked out. "I won't!" Jeremy called back.

After they had been walking for a few seconds, Ulrich inquired with a grin: "_Jer bear?"_ Jeremy blushed slightly. "Ever since we've been friends, she's been calling me that, even when I tell her not to," he smiled and shook his head. Ulrich chuckled.

It only took a few minutes to get to the gates. Keeping the flowers behind their backs, the two boys went through the gate and hurried to their rooms. Rounding the corner, they nearly bumped into Yumi and Aelita. "Aelita!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Yumi!" Ulrich said simultaneously.

They laughed. "Hey you guys," Yumi said. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. What were you doing?" Aelita asked curiously. "Oh, uh, nothing," the two boys chorused hastily, both turning their heads to look at each other. They blushed in unison.

The girls looked at each other and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, now that you're here, we can go to supper," Yumi shrugged. "I have to put something in my room first," Jeremy said quickly. "Me too," Ulrich added. "We'll meet you there."The girls shrugged and turned, heading for the cafeteria. They heard the boys scramble away.

"Why do you thing they're acting so weird?" Yumi asked, pushing the door open and going outside, Aelita following. "I don't know," she shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Maybe it's just a boy thing."

**-Announcement-Announcement-Announcement-**

*Sniffle* This will be my last post until next Saturday! :( I hope you enjoyed the latest installment and will come back next time to read the new chapter!

~Muffin Lover, Adventurer411~


	17. Remembering

Remembering

Setting: After season 4

Rating: K+

POV: normal

A gentle wind blew through the grounds of Kadic, ruffling the hair of a certain bespectacled boy with sapphire eyes. He squinted against it, trying to fix his blond hair. Sipping some hot chocolate, the boy shivered as the warmth ran down his throat.

He leaned back against the doors by the drink machine, memories flashing through his head.

_What…. What is this? Who are you? Who am I?_

_How do you like the name… Miya?_

_Aelita. When I went into the tower, I remembered my name! _

_Hey, find anything? Yes. Xana._

_Xana? _

_It's a super dangerous program, sort of like a virus. _

Of course, this boy was none other than Jeremy Belpois.

He blinked, feeling more memories.

"HEY EINSTEIN!"

Jeremy flinched as a rowdy and rambunctious -but familiar- voice cut through the peaceful silence. "Hey Odd," he sighed. "What are you doing? Daydreaming about princess?" the purple clad boy asked, a grin appearing on his face.

Jeremy snorted even as he ducked his head to hide a blush.

"I was just remembering, Odd." The boy looked confused.

"Remembering?"

"Yes."

"Remembering what?"

Jeremy sighed, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. "I'm remembering our old life. You know, Lyoko, Xana, discovering the supercomputer. It seemed like a lifetime ago," he said. "Yeah," Odd murmured, apparently lost in thought.

_Say Odd, why do you always have to wait until the last second?_

'_Cause it's fun. _

_Fun? Seems more like insanity to me!_

_There's a difference?_

The blond chuckled softly.

_Ah, I broke up with Camille. I'm more into action, like the attack at the pool._

_Odd, we told you never to talk about that._

_What, don't tell me you're never going to tell us what happened at the pool huh…?_

_No…._

_Well, it's simple really. Hm, you remember what happened at the gym?_

_Odd, we told you never to bring up the attack in the gym, right? _

_Why, what happened at the gym? Oh, nothing!_

_Nothing at all._

A smile began to grow on his face. "Do you miss it?" Jeremy asked suddenly. "Hm?" Odd asked, only half paying attention. "You know, Lyoko, all the good times. Do you miss it?"

Odd thought it over.

"A little. I mean, it was always pretty fun to play hero. It wasn't fun however, when we almost died, or when something bad happened… But I guess, on one level, we'll always miss Lyoko," he said. Jeremy nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"You two look deep in thought," Yumi remarked as she approached them with Ulrich and Aelita on either side.

"That's new. For Odd, I mean," Ulrich snorted. Odd scowled.

"What are you thinking about?" Aelita inquired, directing the question at Jeremy. "We're thinking about Lyoko, the past, Xana. We are thinking about all the good times, and all the bad," he answered. Aelita tilted her head and sat down on a bench, Jeremy settling next to her.

_See you in a minute, honey._

_See you in a minute daddy. _

The pink haired girl sighed sadly, softly, eyes misting.

_Aelita, I have to shut down the supercomputer. _

_But… Does that mean we'll die, daddy?_

_No Aelita, but you must never forget. Never forget me Aelita!_

_Never forget... _

Aelita didn't even notice tears streamed down her cheeks as she blinked.

"Are you okay, Aelita?"

Suddenly there was a warm hand linked with hers. Aelita looked up to see Jeremy's face, full of concern. The tears glittered on her cheeks as the sun rays found them.

"My father," Aelita murmured softly. Everyone became somber. "Don't worry Aelita. He may not be right _here,_ but he lives on right _here_." Jeremy put a hand on her heart.

Aelita smiled at him and gently clasped his hand, leaning over to brush a gentle kiss on his cheek, which promptly turned red afterward. "Don't forget the good times princess," came Odd's voice, his grinning face appearing into Aelita's view.

_Hi, are you Miya? My name's Odd. I have to admit, you _are _a real cutie._

_Jeremy has taste!_

Aelita chuckled.

"What is it?" Jeremy inquired. "I remember when Odd first met me. He tried to flirt," the pinkette responded, smile growing into a grin. "I remember that," Jeremy said with a smile. Ulrich only chuckled, and Odd grinned. "You're serious?" Yumi asked. "Yeah," Ulrich laughed. "He said, and I quote,"- "Hey, are you Miya? My name is Odd. I have to admit, you _are_ a real cutie. Jeremy's got taste," Odd butted in, sending Jeremy a sly look.

Blushing, he smiled bashfully and found something interesting about his drink. Aelita giggled.

_Hello, hello, artificial intelligence? Can you hear me?_

_Yes, but would you mind calling me something else please?_

_Hmm. Okay. How do you like the name… Miya?_

_Miya? I like that. _

Aelita giggled again. "Man, you really are good at cheering people up," Ulrich complemented Odd. "That's what I'm here for," he responded with a dazzling grin and two thumbs up.

"What is it Aelita?" Jeremy asked with a smile.

"Artificial intelligence?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hello, artificial intelligence, can you read me?"

"I'm sorry, I don't…. I don't follow…?"

"Hello, Miya?" Aelita was grinning and looked like she might erupt into giggles. Understanding dawned on Jeremy's face and he laughed while the others just looked confused.

"That's what Jeremy called me when we first met," Aelita explained. "He kept calling me 'artificial intelligence', until he made the name Miya for me."

Ulrich snorted as Yumi smiled and Odd grinned. "Of course, leave it to Einstein to call her 'artificial intelli-something', instead of just saying hi," Ulrich said. "It's 'artificial _intelligence_', and that's what I thought she was at the time," Jeremy huffed.

Aelita smiled.

"I thought it was cute."

Jeremy reddened.

"Looks like she has a real talent to make you do that," Odd snickered. "I thought we were remembering Lyoko…?" Jeremy asked, trying to ignore the heat on his cheeks and change the subject. Odd snickered, knowing his friend's aim, but decided to let it pass.

Everyone became lost in thought, a few expressions wistful.

_Hello, Ulrich...?_

_YAH!_

_Whoa! Hold on. Someone's a little jumpy. What's on the menu?_

_Seafood._

"What's so funny now?" Ulrich asked exasperatedly after hearing Aelita giggle for the third time in less than that many minutes.

"I remember when you almost sliced me to bits on Lyoko after I tapped you on the shoulder," the pinkette snorted. "Er... Sorry...?" Aelita laughed this time.

"I remember when we used to almost kill each other if we snuck up on each other in the forest," Yumi laughed. Ulrich smiled.

_Hey Yumi, what's-OUCH!_

_YAH! Oops, sorry Ulrich... _

"Well, we _didn't," _Ulrich chuckled.

_Hey_

_YAH!_

_Whoa, someone's awfully jumpy today. Expecting to be ambushed?_

Yumi and Ulrich chuckled.

"You know, you guys used to do that to us too," Jeremy snorted, absentmindedly rubbing his shoulder. Yumi giggled, apparently remembering when she kicked him.

_Hey Yumi! I've been looking for you! There's a Xana- oof!_

_Oh Jeremy! I'm sorry!_

_You kick hard..._

_Oops...  
_

"You still kick really hard," Jeremy mumbled, rubbing his shoulder once again.

Everyone laughed.

"I still miss Lyoko a little," Ulrich said. "I'm glad we don't have to deal with it," Yumi huffed. "Although, I suppose..." She looped an arm around Ulrich, causing him to blush slightly. She did the same to Jeremy, and Jeremy did likewise to Aelita with a light blush. Ulrich put an arm around Odd's scrawny shoulders.

"Even Jeremy, we'll all still be Lyoko warriors in our hearts," Yumi said warmly, smiling at everyone. They did likewise, smiling and nodding.

"Aw, isn't that just adorable," came an aggravating shrill voice, dripping with sarcasm.

"Go take a long walk off of a short cliff Sissi," Odd spat without missing a beat.

_"_You first," Sissi shot back.

"Look, I am having a _moment _with my friends. Why don't you go have your own with Nicholas and Herve or something?" Odd growled. They laughed as Sissi huffed and stormed away.

Odd turned back to his friends with a grin.

"We're the best friends ever... Right?_"_

"Right!" everyone chorused with a laugh.

* * *

Wow. I am finishing this just as I am arriving at my home from the 4-hour road trip.

Hoped you liked it. I was knocked under the waves a bunch of times, so my brain may be a bit waterlogged. Sorry if this wasn't that good. Give me a few days to recuperate from this 'family fun' and all, then I promise my writing will get better. Peace! (By the way, when we were packing to leave, I had some LOVELY elevator adventures. Let me just say that they should double the number of them if people don't want to wait 10 minutes for an elevator)

_~Adventurer411~  
_


	18. HulaHoop

Hula-Hoop

Setting: After season 4

Rating: K+

POV: normal

"Hey Odd, I got the,"- Ulrich stopped as he opened the door to the dorm he was currently sharing with an Odd Della Robbia. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" his roommate replied.

"Let me rephrase that. Why are you hula-hooping in the middle of the room?"

"It's fun."

Ulrich sighed, pushing past Odd to get to his wardrobe. "Hey! You messed me up! I almost had ten minutes!" Odd exclaimed angrily as the hoop clattered to the floor. "Don't you have something better to do?" Ulrich asked.

"Nope."

"What about studying for a change?"

"Studying is boring. I know I'll still get a horrible grade anyway," Odd replied, grabbing the hula-hoop and getting it going again. "Well, do you have to do it in the middle of the room?" Ulrich asked exasperatedly as he tried to find some way around the hoop without disrupting its path.

"No."

"Then go outside and do it. Maybe bother- uh, I mean _show_, someone else, like Jeremy or Aelita," Ulrich said, shoving Odd toward the door.

The blond grumbled something under his breath about 'unappreciated hula-hoops' before grabbing the large ring and going out the door. It closed behind him.

"Mr. Grumpy," Odd huffed under his breath.

"Odd…?"

"Hm?" the purple clad boy inquired, turning to see Jeremy and Aelita. "Why do you have a hula-hoop?" It was Jeremy who asked. "Hula-hooping is fun, that's why," Odd responded as a matter-of-factly.

"It's pointless," Jeremy pointed out. "So? It's still fun," Odd responded. "Want to try?"

"No thanks," Jeremy refused politely. "Aelita?" Odd asked.

She looked at it, tilting her head. "Why not?" With a grin Odd handed her the hula-hoop. "I used to have one of these a long time ago. My father was never able to do it," Aelita sighed with a wistful smile, giggling at the image. Jeremy smiled and Odd chuckled.

Aelita started it, and was actually doing pretty well. "Looks like I can still do it," she said with a smile. "Yeah princess!" Odd cheered. "Jeremy, this is pretty fun. Why don't you give it a try?" Aelita asked, stopping the hoop and bringing it over her head. "Uh, no, that's okay. I never was good at hula-hooping," Jeremy refused again, putting a hand up. "Are you sure Einstein? It's better for you than staring at a computer all day," Odd held the hoop out to Jeremy.

He shook his head.

"Suit yourself," Odd said, putting the hula-hoop back around his waist and getting it started.

"Uh, why are you guys hula-hooping in the middle of the hallway?" Theo asked as he walked up to them, William on the side of him. "Why does everyone want to know that suddenly?" Odd huffed.

"Look; do we need a permit to hula-hoop? I got a hula-hoop, I think its fun, so I hula-hoop!" the blond exclaimed. "Want to try?"

"I'll pass," Theo answered. "Sure," William said.

Odd handed the hoop to William, who immediately started. "You're good," Odd complemented. "Thanks," William said, still keeping the hoop going. "I used to do this all the time. After a while, it got really easy."

After doing it for a few more seconds, the raven-haired boy handed it back to Odd, who started hula hooping again. Suddenly Ulrich's head popped out the door. "Did you corrupt all these people with your stupid hula-hoop?" he groaned. "My hula-hoop is not stupid," Odd huffed. Ulrich sighed, bringing his head back into the dorm. This would be a long day.

Ignoring Ulrich, Odd kept hula-hooping. "Why do you guys think this is so fun?" Theo asked, confusion evident in his voice. Not stopping, Odd shrugged. "It just is, Theo. It just is."

* * *

I know, it's short. I'm sorry... I'm much better at writing fluff.

Anyway, hula-hooping is actually pretty fun. I can't do it though, unless it's a big hoop... those are the easiest, especially with a bit of water inside ^^

Hey, do you guys like slumber parties? Do you think the gang would like one? If you want to find out, read my new story, Slumber Party!

It's a slumber party at Yumi's ^^ 6 teens (OC included, Peter, owned by Lyokowarrior1994) under one roof, with games, food, and scary movies!~~

Ciao!

~Adventurer411~


	19. The Kiss

The Kiss

Setting: season 4 (It could be any season, really)

Rating: T

POV: normal

Yumi felt her shoulders droop. She had seen it. Now her heart had been struck, and it was all she could do not to yell angrily at him. Yumi walked swiftly away, ignoring the cries begging for her to wait, to understand, to tell her that it wasn't true. There was a hand on her arm.

She yanked her arm away, going into a sprint.

"Yumi, I swear, it didn't mean anything!"

Yumi kept running, heedless of the pleas. She turned out the gates, running to her house. "Yumi, please, wait!" She could hear Ulrich's panting behind her. A minute passed. His footsteps slowed as his breathing got heavy. The distraught, raven-haired girl kept running with relentless energy. "Yumi," he pleaded, voice a gasp.

She ignored him, pushing herself to go faster.

Soon, his footsteps silent. She risked a single glance over her shoulder. Ulrich was standing stock still on the sidewalk behind her, panting raggedly, staring at her with a pleading expression that tugged at her heart. Yumi tore her gaze away and kept running. Several thoughts whizzed around in her mind, each one coming and going too fast to consider properly.

_Why was he kissing Sissi?_

_I thought he like me?_

_Maybe he really does like her..._

_What am I thinking? He hates her, doesn't he...?_

_Or maybe he's just pretending. He was kissing her, after all._

Suddenly Yumi found herself in front of her house. The initial shock and adrenaline fading, she found herself very weary. Panting heavily with sweat beaded on her forehead, she went through the gate and opened the door, going inside before closing it behind her.

"Hello Yumi, dear. How was your day at school?" her mother asked as she stirred a pot in the kitchen.

"Good. Mom... I'm... tired, I'm going to... lie down in my... room," Yumi panted, quickly jogging upstairs. "Okay dear," her mother responded with a smile as she stirred, ignorant of her daughter's current state.

Yumi opened the door and set the bag aside, preparing to flop on her bed.

"YAH!"

Hiroki jumped out from behind her dresser.

"Hiroki! Get out of my room!" Yumi screamed.

"Why so angry sis? Did you have a fight with Ulrich?"

"That's none of your business, unless you'd care to tell me about Milly Solviet," Yumi shot back.

Hiroki blushed and jammed his hands in his pockets, storming angrily past her and out the door. Yumi closed it behind him, sprawling on her bed. Despite her situation, she could not suppress a small surge of satisfaction of what she had accomplished. More thoughts suddenly crushed it.

_It looked like a real kiss to me..._

_But you can't ever judge a book by it's cover. _

_But he was kissing her. _

_Am I going to believe my imagination, or Ulrich?_

_He did seem sincere. _

_Maybe I was being too hasty. _

_Or maybe I did the right thing..._

She didn't know whether to scream or sob as these thoughts and more were racing through her head at the moment. Ulrich, however, was doing something different.

* * *

Mouth dry, he rang the doorbell.

The door was answered shortly thereafter by a curious looking Mrs. Ishiyama. "Excuse me, can I help you?"

"Um, may I please speak to Yumi?"

The woman smiled.

Ulrich felt himself redden.

"Ah, of course. You must be Ulrich. Come right in," she responded, stepping out of the way and gesturing inside. He nodded politely and gave his thanks, heading inside and going up the stairs. He knocked on Yumi's door. "Hey, it's me."

"I don't want to talk right now."

"You only need to listen."

"I don't want to listen either."

"Please Yumi, at least hear me out," he pleaded.

There was silence. Then, there was a sigh.

"Come in."

Ulrich felt his spirits lift a little before reminding himself that he still had to convince her that the kiss was nothing. He walked in to discover Yumi sitting cross-legged on her bed. Her face was expressionless.

"Well?"

Ulrich closed the door and sat down next to her.

"Yumi, I swear, this was nothing. Jeremy and Aelita needed to get out of the principal's office. It was the only way; Yumi, I swear," Ulrich insisted.

When Yumi said nothing, he continued. "There was an activated tower. We _had_ to get them out. Sissi blackmailed me. She would tell if I didn't kiss her. Yumi, I hated it. I would have much rathered kissing you, because I love you..." Ulrich suddenly realized what he had said, nervousness causing him to babble.

The end shouldn't have come out.

He started blushing horribly and stared down at his lap. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know what I was saying, I-" Ulrich stopped.

He found out in that moment that it is considerably hard to talk when you are being kissed. Yumi pulled away, blushing furiously.

Ulrich just sat there, red in the face, slightly gaping, heart pounding, and mind racing.

"I love you too," Yumi said quietly. "I'm sorry. I just saw you and Sissi, and thought, you know..."

Ulrich shook his head, finally coming out of his stupor. "No, that's okay. I would've been the same way if I saw you kissing William, maybe even worse," he said.

The two slowly smiled.

"YUMI'S GOT A BOYFRIEND!" Hiroki sang loudly. Both Ulrich and Yumi blushed profusely, turning around to see him in the open doorway, but neither denied the accusation, because technically it _was_ true.

Of all the reactions both Ulrich and Hiroki thought were coming from Yumi, they didn't, nor would ever, guess what she did next.

"Yes, I do," she said calmly, talking Ulrich's hand. "Now, why don't you leave?"

The boys' jaws dropped.

"I said, leave," she commanded, voice still calm with a smile on her face. Hiroki only stared, dumbstruck, before stepping out and closing the door. Yumi giggled. Ulrich stared at her. "Well, I _do _have a boyfriend," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

_Yes, _he thought, _yes you do._

* * *

Wow... two straight YxU stories/moments (First was in different story, Slumber Party)... I must be sick or something. This is my first ever _pure _YxU fluff. I hope it was good enough ^.^

**ANNOUNCEMENT-ANNOUNCEMENT-ANNOUNCEMENT**

Guess what this is? Well, most of you are probably thinking: It's a story, duh..

Yes, well, this_ particular_ story is special. It's the 19th story! If you remember correctly, the 20th is going to be a prom special.

Okay, so, here's how it's going to work:

Since the chapter will probably take around a week or longer, I am going to treat the single chapter like a story. I will start with a certain amount, and add on a certain amount just about every other day. I'll try and update as soon as I can. Just to clarify, I will not be making anymore chapters, (Until the special is over, of course) just adding on to the same chapter.

Hope you're excited!

~Adventurer411~


	20. Intermission: Prom: part 1

20th Story Prom special!

Setting: After season 4

Rating: T

POV: Normal

_Come on!_ Ulrich told himself, willing his legs to walk himself over there. He sat on a bench, gazing at Yumi, who was sipping coffee by the drink machine.

"Go ahead Ulrich," Aelita said, giving him a gentle nudge. She was sitting by him and Jeremy was standing behind her, both urging Ulrich to ask Yumi to the prom.

He looked at Aelita.

She smiled encouragingly at him.

_It's so weird taking advice from them, _Ulrich thought as he looked once more at Yumi. They couldn't even manage to ask _each other_ out. Shaking those thoughts from his head, the brunette stood and looked back at Jeremy and Aelita one last time.

Jeremy looked at him expectantly and Aelita cocked her head in Yumi's direction.

He nodded and turned, walking over to her.

She looked up from her drink.

"Uh, hey, Yumi," Ulrich started.

"Hey," she replied with a smile.

"Well, I was wondering if you, um…." He flushed pink. "If you maybe want to go the prom with me?"

Yumi's mouth opened slightly and she blushed. After a few seconds, the bewildered girl seemed to find words. "Ulrich, I'd… I'd love to go with you," Yumi said, bending slightly to kiss him on the cheek.

His face transformed into a smile.

"Uh, well, see you tomorrow tonight then," he said.

"Yeah," she murmured, cheeks tainting pink. "See you tomorrow night."

She gave a small wave before Ulrich walked back over to Jeremy and Aelita.

"Great job Ulrich," she congratulated him, smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah." Jeremy smiled also.

"Thanks," Ulrich muttered, trying not to blush.

Suddenly Odd ran up to them, holding hands with a familiar looking girl.

"Hey guys!" he said, sounding excited. "You remember Sam right?"

Ulrich and Jeremy nodded, while Aelita looked confused.

"Are these your friends Odd?" Sam inquired.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"This is Ulrich," he put a hand in his direction.

"This is Einstein," he grinned, waving a hand in Jeremy's direction.

He rolled his eyes.

"Is that really his name?" Sam asked curiously.

"Of course not," Jeremy answered with a smile, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. "My real name is Jeremy," he dipped his head in greeting.

"But he's a real braniac," Odd said. "That's why we call him Einstein!"

"Oh!" Sam laughed.

"Yumi is over there!" Odd pointed to where Yumi was still standing by the drink machine.

Sam nodded.

"Last but not least, this is princess," he grinned, waving an arm in Aelita's direction.

"Odd," Aelita laughed, rolling her eyes. "That's just a nickname," she told Sam. "My real name is Aelita. Nice to meet you," Aelita waved.

"Nice to meet you too. By the way, I like your hair," Sam complemented. "Who does it?"

Aelita frowned thoughtfully and subconsciously reached to feel a strand of her hair. "No one, actually. It's natural," she shrugged.

"Wow; that's weird," Sam tilted her head.

"Come on Sam, You want to go play a game of Foosball?" Odd intervened.

"Sure," Sam replied.

"Guys, you want to come play?"

"Sure," Ulrich shrugged.

"I'm in," Aelita added.

"No thanks," Jeremy shook his head. "I'm not that good, and it would only make for an odd number. I'll just come and watch," he said.

"Okay," Odd shrugged as they all headed off to the wreck room.

Ten minutes later, the score was 12-15. Odd and Sam won.

"Wow Sam," Ulrich said. "I've never played foosball with anyone who's as good a Odd."

Aelita nodded.

"Thanks," Sam said, cracking her knuckles. "I practice a lot."

Suddenly Jeremy looked at his watch. "Wow, alert the media!" he exclaimed.

"What?" everyone asked simultaneously.

"Odd Della Robbia _forgot_ about lunch! It starts in two minutes," Jeremy smiled and tapped his watch.

Ulrich and Aelita gasped before breaking into fits of laughter along with Jeremy.

"What's so funny?" Sam inquired as Odd scowled.

"Nothing. Let's just go to lunch, okay?" he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading to the lunchroom.

The others followed, still laughing.

* * *

Lunch was nothing special.

(Say that in front of Odd, and see him redden with steam coming out of his ears like a cartoon character)

Sam sat with the group and was formally introduced to Yumi.

Afterward, the group split.

Ulrich and Yumi had a Penchak silat lesson, and Jeremy and Aelita went to the library to study together, both blushing terribly and insisting that it wasn't a date after Odd had prodded.

Ulrich and Yumi had left quickly after that.

"I'm going to unpack," Sam said cheerfully. "See you later, Odd!"

"See you later Sam!"

The girl turned and walked to the dorms, hair flapping behind her.

Odd was struck with a thought.

"Hey, wait!" He ran after her.

"Hm?" Sam stopped and turned, Odd nearly ramming into her.

The blond skidded to a stop, arms waving wildly for balance.

"Trying to fan me? It _is_ awfully hot," Sam joked, grabbing him by the shoulders until he regained balance.

"Apparently," Odd answered.

Sam giggled.

"I actually wanted to ask you a question," he said, clasping his hands nervously behind his back and rocking back and forth on his heels.

"What might that be?" Sam asked curiously, putting her hands on her hips.

"Um..." Odd turned red and suddenly found himself unable to speak.

_You call yourself a ladies man? _A voice in his head asked. _Why are you having so much trouble? You always do this with girls. _

_Yes, _Odd answered back, _but this isn't just another girl. This is Sam!_

_And what makes Sam so different?_

_Um... _He mental-blushed, unsure if it was actually showing on his face. If the heat on his face was accurate, it was.

"Uh, Odd...? You had a question...?" Sam's voice jolted Odd out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah! Right," he spluttered. "I was wondering, if you, um, might want to go the uh, prom with me?" Was this how Jeremy or Ulrich felt when they talked to Aelita or Yumi? Odd had a racing heart, dry mouth, and his cheeks felt like they were on fire. Maybe he'd think twice about teasing the others. Maybe.

"That sounds fun," Sam gushed, heat rising to her cheeks.

"Great! I-I mean, uh, cool... It's tomorrow night," Odd stuttered.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then," she responded.

Blushing, Sam kissed him on the cheek and walked away with a smile and a wave.

In a slight stupor, Odd waved back, and kept waving a few seconds after she disappeared up the staircase.

Only after she disappeared was a certain realization reached.

_I've got a date... with Sam._

_I've got a date with Sam..._

_I've got a date with Sam!_

Odd whooped loudly, pumping his fist in the air. He jammed his hands in his pockets, going off to his room and whistling the whole way.

* * *

The few other students in the library watched curiously as the resident genii spoke techno-babble.

These two were, of course, none other than Jeremy Belpois and Aelita stones.

"-and then you would crack the algorithm, providing you a start," Jeremy finished.

"I see," said Aelita, scrawling something down on a piece of paper.

"Looks like we've finished our project," she said, smiling at him.

"Yes," Jeremy answered.

"It's fum working with you," Aelita gushed.

"Likewise," Jeremy replied.

"Besides, I'm the only one who understands you when you try to explain something," the pinkette giggled.

"They would understand if they just listened a little bit more in class," Jeremy reasoned.

Aelita laughed.

"Well, I have to go get a book before I leave. See you at supper," she said before gathering her books and walking down one of the aisles.

"Okay," Jeremy called, waving before gathering up his own things.

He started walking out the door when a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"William? What do you want?" Jeremy asked curiously, tone neither friendly or hostile.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm serious. What do you want?" Jeremy asked irritably.

"No, no, I mean, are you serious? You just worked on a project with Aelita, and all you're going to do when you're finished is say, 'okay, see you'?" William asked.

"Well, yes. That is usually the proper response when you walk away. Either a 'goodbye' or 'see you' should be fine," Jeremy said sarcastically.

"You don't understand," William said exasperatedly.

"Obviously, I don't. Care to explain?" Jeremy asked.

William sighed.

"What?" Jeremy demanded.

"You're not going to ask her...?"

"Ask her what?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, William, obviously I'm not."

"I can't believe you don't know."

"Get to the point, or I will leave, right now," Jeremy threatened.

"Ask her to the prom," William blurted. "Aren't you going to ask? Now would be the perfect time," he said.

Jeremy reddened. "Wh-Why would I do that?" he asked, flustered.

"Look, I may not have been in the group for a long time, but I noticed the obvious connection between you two," he said.

At the look Jeremy gave him, he added: "I still see it, even if you refuse to admit it."

This only made Jeremy blush more.

"I'm sure you've always wanted to ask her out... Now would be a really good time," William encouraged.

Jeremy couldn't deny the truth in those words.

"O-Okay, I... I guess," he said quietly.

"Great," William said. "Let me know how it goes."

Before Jeremy could say another word, William gathered his things and walked out the door.

The young genius sighed. Despite his enormous intelligence, none of it - or very little - included any information about girls and dating.

* * *

Jeremy forced himself to take deep breaths as he stood behind the aisle Aelita was browsing.

_Come on,_ he told himself.

The blond started walking and turned the corner, only to almost ram into Aelita. She gasped and dropped her books, straight onto Jeremy's feet.

He winced as Aelita bent down and hurriedly collected the books.

"Jeremy, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she asked, straightening.

"Uh, yeah," Jeremy stuttered, nervousness overpowering any pain he felt at the moment. "Could I ask you something?"

"Sure," Aelita smiled.

Jeremy felt the few eyes in the library on him and Aelita. The blond felt himself start blushing, trying to ignore the gazes.

He leaned against a cart of books.

"Well, I was, um, wondering, if maybe you would like-" Jeremy was interrupted as some of the books on the cart fell to the floor.

He hastily bent down and scooped them up.

"I thought you might like to, um-" One of the books slipped out of Jeremy's hands and landed on the floor.

He bent down to grab it before trying to stand, only to hit his head on one of the shelves of the cart.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, dropping the book.

He grabbed the book again, careful not to hit his head.

Aelita was having a hard time stifling her giggles.

"Okay," he finally sighed, having straightened and put the books on the table.

Jeremy subconsciously leaned against the cart again, trying to appear nonchalant. (**A/N: Big mistake, on his part...**)

"Well, I-I was wondering if you might want to, um-" Once again, things went awry.

The cart rolled and Jeremy ended up sprawled on the floor, landing with a thud, glasses askew on his face and hair in his eyes.

He sighed.

Aelita leaned down and peered at him.

"Are... Are you alright, Jeremy?" she asked between giggles.

Jeremy felt his cheeks burn as people snickered.

"I'm... I'm just not myself right now," the bespectacled blond apologized as he pushed himself up.

"That's okay. What did you want to ask?" Aelita inquired, fixing his glasses and brushing the strand of hair out of his eyes with a smile.

Jeremy's mouth felt dry.

"I wanted t... t-to know if you might want to, um... go to the prom with me?" he asked.

Aelita's mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"I'd... I'd love to, Jeremy," she finally answered.

"Great. I'll... I'll see you tomorrow night then...?" Jeremy asked.

Aelita nodded, finally blushing under the curious gazes of the onlookers.

They smiled nervously at each other before Aelita turned and walked down another aisle, and Jeremy hurried out of the library, not meeting anyone's gaze.

They never saw the blond and purple blur slip out from behind a bookshelf.

* * *

"Jeremy, hey...?" Yumi asked, waving a hand in his face.

Jeremy seemed to snap awake.

"Oh, yeah. Hey Yumi," he said.

"What's up with you? You look like you're on cloud nine," she said, putting a coin in the drink machine.

"What do you mean?"

"You're daydreaming, Jeremy. You're off in another world. What could you possibly be thinking about?" Yumi asked, taking the soda.

Jeremy said nothing, only feeling his cheeks get hot as he stared at the ground.

Yumi frowned in confusion at the reaction.

"I know why he's on cloud nine," Odd snickered as he walked over.

"Why?" Yumi asked.

Jeremy's head shot up and he stared at Odd warningly, but Odd ignored it.

"He's got a date for the prom," Odd gushed.

Jeremy gave up and jammed his hands in his pockets, dropping his head and hoping that his hair would hide most of his face.

"Really?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah. Guess who?"

"Aelita," they replied simultaneously, bursting into giggles.

"Yes?" inquired Aelita, who was just walking up at that moment.

_Great, _Jeremy thought.

"We didn't call you," Yumi said.

"Then why did you say my name?" Aelita asked.

"Yumi was trying to guess who Jeremy's date for the prom was," Odd grinned, enjoying the embarrassment and blush on her face.

"We've been looking for you guys," said Sam, who suddenly walked up with Ulrich.

"Why didn't you guys call?" Odd asked.

"Couldn't reach your cell. Anyway, what are you guys talking about?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh, dates for the prom, and such," Odd grinned, directing his gaze toward Jeremy and Aelita.

They started blushing as the others looked at them.

"You're kidding! I thought-"

"I'm going to supper," Jeremy interrupted Ulrich loudly, cheeks red as he walked off.

"I'm uh... I'm going too," Aelita added, hastily following him.

Everyone laughed as they disappeared into the cafeteria.

"I just don't get them," Ulrich sighed.

"Yeah, I don't get you and Yumi either," Odd sighed.

The two blushed as Ulrich opened his mouth to utter the familiar protest about being 'just friends', but remembered he couldn't, because 'just friends' don't ask each other on dates, which was what he had done to Yumi.

Instead, he grumbled, "I'm going to supper."

Yumi followed and they walked off to the cafeteria.

Sam and Odd laughed.

"Odd, your friends are very..."

"Awesome? Unusual? Madly in love?" Odd tried.

"All of the above," Sam decided.

They laughed again.

"Ready for supper?" Odd asked.

"Yep," Sam answered as the went to join the others.


	21. Hiccups, Apology

I haven't updated in what, like... forever? I know, and I'm sorry. I hope to make it up with this extra long chapter with two dabbles. Both are about Jeremy and Aelita. But don't worry, I'll something about Yumi and Ulrich in the next chapter. Promise.

(I'll finish the prom story soon)

* * *

Hiccups

Setting: Right after Aelita is materialized

Rating: K

POV: normal

"Well, it's only natural. What do you think, Aelita?" Jeremy wondered as he turned his head toward the pinkette sitting on the bench next to him.

"I think that it— _hiccup!_" Aelita said. Her eyes widened as she closed her mouth, looking surprised and slightly fearful while Jeremy smiled in amusement. Aelita's mouth opened involuntarily and her head bobbed up with another hiccup. Her eyes widened in fear.

"Calm down, Aelita; it's nothing to be afraid of," Jeremy laughed slightly, noticing the look in her eyes. "It's just hiccups."

"Hic… cups?" Aelita asked hesitantly as she shifted on the bench, putting a hand to her mouth. She bounced as a stifled hiccup made itself known.

"Hiccups," Jeremy repeated in a confirmation, smiling at the baffled girl. "They usually come from eating or drinking too fast, which isn't surprising since you basically inhaled this morning's croissants." He ended it with a small laugh.

Aelita blushed. She loved food— the wonderful sensations and tastes that weren't available on Lyoko. Though there were many more things, the pinkette found that she quite liked croissants.

"I-Is getting… hiccups…. a bad— _hiccup! —_a bad thing?" she asked, bouncing up at another hiccup. "Can they hurt you?"

"No, Aelita, they're okay," Jeremy assured the frightened girl, putting his hand over hers. "If you keep hiccuping like that, you might feel a slight tightening in your chest—" he gestured to his own as she bounced slightly, hiccuping, "—but hiccups don't do any real damage, so you shouldn't worry about it."

Aelita smiled in relief. "Okay. As I was saying before, I think that it is n— _hiccup."_ Aelita interrupted herself with another hiccup, frowning. "I think it's very natural, but that doesn't mean that— _hiccup!"_ Aelita frowned once again in frustration. "Jeremy…? How do you get rid of these… hiccups? They're irritating."

Smiling, Jeremy pushed his glasses farther up his nose with a finger. "There are a few different ways. First, you should try holding your breath."

Aelita did as she was instructed. Almost a minute passed before she started wanting air. She started to get lightheaded, but sealed her lips firmly and struggled not to breath out of her nose. Jeremy had said to hold her breath, and she was going to do it. Her cheeks were flushed. Colors danced in her eyes and she leaned to one side. Aelita gave a muffled hiccup.

Blinking, the pinkette marveled at how just a small gesture, such as taking in air, was so important and could effect someone so deeply. This didn't happen on Lyoko, either.

"Aelita?" Jeremy asked in a slightly panicked voice. "Are you…? Aelita, breath!"

As soon as he said that, Aelita's breath whooshed out and she started gasping in air. The normal color returned to her cheeks as her breathing slowed.

Jeremy put a gentle hand on her shoulder as she continued to pant, trying to replenish the precious air that had not been taken in while holding her breath. "Aelita…" he said slowly. "It's not good to hold your breath for too long. It makes you lightheaded, and you could even faint. Do you understand?"

Aelita nodded even as she hiccuped loudly. She frowned. "It... didn't... work."

"Well, usually people try drinking water next," Jeremy said.

Ten minutes later, Aelita was doubled over a bush, retching up mouthfuls of water. Jeremy stood loyally by her, a hand on her shoulder.

"I thought... you said-" Aelita hiccuped, triggering another mouthful of water to come up, "-that this would... help?"

"I didn't know you would drink so much," Jeremy said in a slightly guilty voice. "Drinking or eating too much makes you throw up."

"It's unpleasant," Aelita grimaced as she stood straight, wiping her mouth. She hiccuped, frowning.

"Let's go see if they have any ideas," Jeremy suggested, cocking his head to the forest, where Yumi and Ulrich were sparring. They walked along the path, Aelita letting out an occasional hiccup. Yumi and Ulrich soon came into view, panting as they say against trees. They looked up as the Einsteins approached.

"What's... up?" Ulrich panted as Aelita let out a hiccup.

"Don't tell us... that there's a Xana... attack?" Yumi asked, frowning. Jeremy shook his head.

"Aelita has the hiccups. We were wondering if you guys had any ideas for getting rid of them," he said, glancing at Aelita. She hiccuped.

"Did you try... holding your breath?" Yumi asked, blinking at Aelita.

"She almost passed out..."

"What about drinking water?" Ulrich wondered.

"She... threw up afterward," Jeremy said awkwardly.

"Well," Yumi said, a small smile on her face, "it looks like... the only thing left is... scaring you." Her eyes flicked so quickly to over Aelita's shoulder and back to her she thought she might have imagined it.

"But... that sounds... well, scary," Aelita said, shaking her head.

Yumi shrugged, her smile getting bigger.

Suddenly Aelita felt a light touch on her back, followed by what sounded like a wolf howl. She squealed and jumped a foot in the air, whipping around. In doing so, she came face to face with Odd. He was wearing a huge grin and a moment later, started laughing.

"Odd! You... what do I call it? You almost... attacked my heart...?"

"I think... what you're... trying to say... princess," Odd managed between laughter, "is that I almost gave you a 'heart attack'."

Aelita nodded a Yumi and Ulrich laughed.

"It... wasn't funny," Aelita said, seeming embarrassed.

"Hey, at least it worked, huh?" Odd said, still grinning. "Looks like I scared those hiccups right out of you."

Aelita looked confused, but slowly smiled. "That's a relief."

"Great," said Jeremy. "Now we can go back to- _hiccup!_"

Everyone looked at him. He groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Great, now I have the- _hic_ - hiccups."

"I got an idea!" Odd volunteered eagerly, grinning. He whispered something in Aelita's ear.

"You want me to do _that_?" she asked, looking at Odd in surprise. She blushed as he nodded vigorously.

"It'll help. I promise!" he said.

"Odd, what did you- _hiccup_ - tell her?" Jeremy asked, sliding his hands down and looking suspicious.

"Come on, Aelita," Odd urged. She blushed again and nodded.

"Aelita- _hiccup _-what did he tell-" Jeremy stopped, because, at that moment Aelita grabbed the sides of his head and pressed her lips to his.

Odd whooped while Yumi and Ulrich almost choked in surprise.

Aelita pulled back, looking sheepish as the spectators watched. Jeremy was frozen. Then he bounced with a hiccup.

"I thought you said that would help his hiccups?" Aelita asked, turning to Odd accusingly. He shook his head.

"I said it would help his ailment," Odd corrected, grinning. "I never said anything about hiccups."

Aelita frowned. "But, Jeremy's not sick..."

"Yes he is," Odd said, biting his lip. "He's... lovesick!" He burst into laughter.

Yumi and Ulrich couldn't help themselves as they laughed with Odd. Jeremy and Aelita both looked quite embarrassed, but Aelita eventually gave a small giggle.

"I... don't get it."

* * *

**A/N: **Poor, adorable, naive Aelita. The way you act is so cute.

Next one is also Jerlita.

* * *

Apology

Setting: Season 4

Rating: K+

POV: normal

"You did well, guys— as always," Jeremy half-smiled as he removed the headset and spun around in his seat, sliding onto the floor. The memory he had pushed to the back of his head surged forward and his slight smile disappeared completely. He sighed.

This bad memory wasn't one of the times he had fought with her, nor the times he had forgotten promises and disappointed her. No, this was a lie had cost Aelita possession of her will, and it had been exactly one year since that incident.

_You were only trying to make her happy,_ half of Jeremy's brain told himself, sensing the guilt. _That was the only reason you lied. _

_It still wasn't right, _the other half reminded Jeremy firmly. _I know love makes you do crazy things, but honestly? First you lie about giving her the necklace, then pin it on the others._

"I know, I know," Jeremy muttered in a frustrated voice, hands subconsciously curling into fists. He tried to focus on his breathing.

All day, he had been ground down on nerves, wondering if Aelita would remember what happened and if she would take his apology. To make things worse, he had snapped at her this morning in his nervousness. She had been cold ever since.

Stomach tying itself in knots, he looked up at the sound of the elevator opening. Yumi and Ulrich glanced at him briefly before returning to conversation, and Aelita made no eye contact at all as she stopped her conversation with Odd.

"You coming or what, Einstein?" he wondered.

Jeremy bit his lip and glanced at Aelita. Her expression turned icy as she mad eye contact, emerald orbs sliding to the side as she first scowled at Jeremy, then looked at the wall.

"I'd like to talk to Aelita," Jeremy said, somewhat quietly. "Privately."

Odd glanced at Aelita while Ulrich and Yumi paid no attention, absorbed in their conversation. She hesitantly eyed Jeremy, icy expression wavering.

"Please? I'd really like to apologize," Jeremy said, now addressing Aelita. Odd raised an eyebrow as he heard the word apologize, but kept quiet.

Silently and without making eye contact, Aelita stepped out of the elevator and waited a few seconds after it closed to talk in a flat voice.

"What?"

Jeremy resisted a wince at the tone of her voice. "As I said…" he started, having some difficulty forcing the words out of his dry mouth, "I'd like to apologize. I didn't mean to snap at you this morning. I guess I was just nervous."

Jeremy watched in surprise as Aelita sighed, angry expression falling away to be replaced by an upset one and slightly guilty.

"I'm sorry too. Honestly, I don't think I was really mad at you… I was just upset, or slightly angry at myself…I really didn't appreciate your comment, but the only reason I acted like this is because it made me feel… guilty. To think of all the things you guys sacrificed for me, all the times you missed class, and even almost died…" She glanced at her feet.

"Especially you, Jeremy. You've given up more that I could ever ask for."

When she looked back up, Jeremy was alarmed to see her eyes looked glassy, as if about to cry. She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back tears.

"Well, I uh… I mean, you really shouldn't worry about that," Jeremy said hurriedly. "It's… it's fine, really. I don't mind having you around at all…" His eyes widened as he saw Aelita's stricken face and he stammered, trying to correct his mistake. "N-No, that's not what I meant! I really love yo— I-I mean, I love having you around. So, you, uh… really shouldn't feel guilty. The… the others love having you around, too…"

_Why am I so flustered?_

Jeremy blushed heavily and suddenly found the wall very interesting. He bit his lip, fearful that he would either anger Aelita with his words or blurt out his feelings. When he dared to glance at her, Jeremy found she was smiling and blushing slightly.

"Truthfully," he managed, careful of his words, "I wanted to apologize for something else."

Aelita's expression turned to confusion.

Jeremy took a deep breath, all of his words spilling out. "Well, remember last Valentine's Day? Xana gave you that necklace, but I lied and said I gave it to you. I wanted to apologize for that—"

"Slow down," Aelita interrupted, blinking as she tried to understand his rapid-fire words. Jeremy didn't seem to hear.

"—The only reason I lied was because you looked so happy, and I had already forgotten it was Valentine's Day. When I saw you like that, I just wanted to be the source—"

"Really, Jeremy, it's fi—"

"—of that happiness," he continued.

Aelita sighed, inwardly wondering when Jeremy would stop the rant.

_There's a way to make him stop quicker,_ a voice in Aelita's head chirped. _And I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too… _

As the reason presented itself to her, the pinkette blushed slightly and stepped closer. Jeremy didn't seem to notice as he continued.

"That's still no good reason for lying to you, but I—" the young genius stopped in the middle of his sentence, because, as he figured out just then, it's hard to talk when you're being kissed.

His eyes looked like dinner plates as Aelita closed her eyes, putting her hands on each side of his face. After a few seconds she pulled away, leaving him dazed, red-faced, and slightly frozen.

"Come on," she murmured teasingly, blushing at the sight of Jeremy's bright red face and tugging on his hand, "don't freeze up again."

Jeremy, if possible, blushed harder. "W-What was… that for?"

Aelita smiled. "To make you stop apologizing."

Jeremy blinked, bashfully scuffing the tip of his shoe on the ground before looking back up at her. "Is… Is that the only reason?"

Aelita's smile got bigger a she let out a quiet laugh. "You're a genius, right? See if you can figure it out," she said vaguely, taking Jeremy's hand in hers and going to the elevator.

He blushed heavily as Aelita leaned toward him again just as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

If you can find a bigger fan of Jerlita than me, I'd like to see them. Seriously, try me.

I have an announcement! I am now taking requests for dabbles. Either PM the idea, or review (though I'm warning you that I check my inbox more often, though you can still review)

Rules: Nothing rated above T. I don't do crack, yaoi/yuri, or OxA pairings (sorry, but that just makes my blood boil). So basically, no adult themes and no pairings that aren't cannon. Exception: OCs may be included. Whether it is OcxOc or OddxOc, it is fine. No more than 2 Ocs.

If I don't get a request after a week, I will just continue the dabbles and may add in my own or my friend's Ocs (with their permission, of course).

Besides that: Feel free to point out any errors in this.

Till next chapter (which will probably be a lot longer than I hope),

~Adventurer411


	22. Pressure

**Pressure  
**

**POV: normal**

**Rating: K+**

**Setting: season 4**

* * *

Jeremy envied his friends sometimes.

He envied Yumi. Even though she had to lie to her parents more often than he did, all she had to do was follow orders. She was responsible, patient, and good at giving advice. Jeremy could be responsible, but not always patient, and definitely not the best one to come to for advice—unless you were worried about school.

It was the same with Ulrich. He might not have been good in academics, but he was good in sports and only had to follow orders. Jeremy was terrible in sports. He couldn't hit or catch a ball to save his life.

Jeremy especially envied Odd. He was so carefree and joking, having little, if any responsibility. He was a braggart, a slacker, and a player when it came to girls, but Jeremy envied him nonetheless.

And yes, he even envied Aelita. It was silly, he knew, to envy a girl with no parents—except for one that was stuck in a supercomputer—or no family. But even though she was alone, Jeremy envied her. Why, he had always asked himself? The answer was always the same.

_Because she doesn't have to deal with the pressure of making sure that four people come out of Lyoko alive almost every day. _

They didn't fully understand what it was like.

Jeremy sighed from the bench in the courtyard as he watched the others joke around. Ulrich and Yumi had coffee while Aelita munched on a croissant that Odd was currently trying to steal. He attempted to take a piece off of it but Aelita put it just out of his reach with a grin, wagging her finger at him. Odd pouted and Ulrich made a remark that caused Odd to blush and Aelita laugh. Yumi, however, just watched them over the rim of her cup. Her stare was cool and focused, reminding Jeremy of a babysitter. She watched over them like a mother would watch over her children.

Jeremy turned his attention back to the laptop; there was much to be done. There was _always _much to be done, and most of it needed to be done immediately. The rest of it needed to be finished as soon as possible. And it was all his job to finish it. Sure, Aelita could help sometimes, but she'd been hanging out with Odd more and more lately.

Odd.

Jeremy glanced up from the computer. Aelita had almost finished her croissant, and in a last attempt to steal some of it, Odd ran at her. Aelita easily sidestepped, but Odd was ready. He twisted, trying to grab it, but instead stumbled into Aelita's arms in a hug. Both of them looked at each other for a moment, blushing slightly, then laughed.

Jeremy felt his face crumble. Of course she would want Odd and not him. A small ache formed in his chest as he continued to watch them laugh. Aelita suddenly caught his gaze. She frowned at the hurt that Jeremy attempted unsuccessfully to hide.

He quickly looked down, shoulders slumping. Jeremy didn't need a reminder that he was too shy to ask her out and would most certainly get turned down anyway.

After working for several seconds, he dared to look up again. Now Aelita was whispering to the others and casting glances in his direction. They occasionally looked at him, sometimes letting loose a smile or giggle.

Now she was making fun of him. Jeremy's shoulders slumped even further. Was that really necessary? First she'd leave him alone, then she'd humiliate him? He'd given everything for her. He was sweeping worries of sleep, class, and even food aside for her. Jeremy had practically put his life on hold, just to help her, and this was how she repaid him?

Jeremy allowed himself to sink deep into the pool of negative thoughts for several minutes.

Then a hand was on his arm. He looked up from the computer and tried not to frown. Odd grinned down at him.

"Come on, Einstein," he said as Jeremy's computer was suddenly lifted from his lap. Yumi had taken it. She closed it, ignoring Jeremy's protests, and set it on the bench next to him.

"What are you guys doing?" Jeremy asked, halfheartedly trying to stop Odd and Yumi from dragging him to the vending machines where Aelita and Ulrich were standing.

"If you're not going to have some fun, we're going to force you." Odd flashed another grin.

As they approached, Aelita smiled mischievously and fished behind the vending machine. She withdrew a grocery bag.

"Guys, I have work to..." Jeremy trailed off in the middle of his complaint as Aelita took out a can. "What is that?"

In answer, she aimed it at him and shook the can. Then she pressed the nozzle.

A stream of what seemed to be pink thread spewed out of the can and wrapped itself around Jeremy. In seconds, his entire head and shoulders were covered with the sticky substance.

"Silly string!" Aelita laughed, shoving a can into Jeremy's hands. "Going to get me back for this?"

"I-"

Jeremy was cut off as she aimed another spray at him. Aelita grinned smugly, eyes shining.

_She's challenging me, _Jeremy realized. She knew that the blond genius had a fiercely competitive spirit in anything he had a chance in, and that he couldn't resist taking on the challenge.

No. He wouldn't do it.

"Aelita, I'm sorry, but I have work to do."

Now she stuck out her lip.

Jeremy felt his stomach turn. She was pouting. "Uh..." That _had_ to be cheating. She knew he couldn't resist. And even as he told himself he wouldn't do it, Jeremy caved.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt for a little while..."

Jeremy tried not to look at Aelita's beaming face, because he knew that behind it, there was bit of smirk in her eyes.

Suddenly she sprayed him on the head. A pink strand jumped out of the can, coiling on top of Jeremy's already-covered head. Before he had a change to react, she let out a peal of laughter that made him smile, then darted away.

Well, he couldn't let her get away with that, could he? Jeremy took off at his fastest run, which wasn't very fast, but still managed to get a little silly string on Aelita. After a few minutes both of them were sitting on a bench facing each other, panting, ignoring the strange looks that the other students sent them. Both were covered from head to toe in silly string.

"Now... wasn't that... fun?" Aelita asked.

Jeremy nodded, still trying to recover his breath. Though it seemed a little childish, maybe you had to be childish to have fun, sometimes, he thought.

Aelita returned the smile he sent. Tired and covered and silly string, Jeremy decided that though he did envy his friends sometimes, he wouldn't rather have any other ones in the world.

* * *

I'm on an updating spree, yay! Hopefully I get the eight year old matchmaker updated tonight, but I might not, since camp nano is going on and I'm trying for 75k words.


	23. Waves

It was like a wave.

Sissi wouldn't admit to it. No, she wasn't lonely. She didn't long for the company of Ulrich or any of his friends, someone other than Nicholas and Herve.

It sucked her in.

Everything stung. Every word, insult slung together so carelessly, was like a bruise—not as bad as a broken limb, but still painful. Salt washed in her eyes, creating tears that Sissi refused to shed in front of them.

It allowed her respite.

He needed her. He had said so himself—Ulrich, himself, needed her, Sissi. She didn't know why; she didn't care why. She just knew that she was important.

The wave brought her tantalizingly closer. Sissi was almost at the shore. It promised relief, an escape from all the pain. She was almost there.

Sissi faltered. An insult slipped its way through her lips. She wasn't important anymore.

The wave was suddenly sucking her back, away from the shore. Sissi continued to tread water, hoping for another wave to bring her closer to them. She needed another opportunity to be important.

Here was a big one. She rode shakily, but the wave proved to be too much. She just couldn't stand by and watch Ulrich suck up to that Ishiyama.

The wave knocked Sissi underwater, spinning her until down and up were just words. The despair was closing her throat, threatening with tears. Odd's teasing and laughter shoved her underwater.

Sissi was drowning. She needed someone, but who to turn to? There was no one.

She found her footing again, soaked and coughing. The gasp of air, time to think, was refreshing and full of relief.

She had to try again. Somehow, the conversation with Ulrich that she had intended to be friendly and Yumi-free was turning into a fight, with both of them slinging insults and spitting unkind words at each other.

The wave sucked her back out. All this loneliness was overwhelming, and still it continued to pull her away from the shore. Sissi knew she was fooling herself. She wanted, more than anything, to reach the shore and get close to them. But the wave kept her away, occasionally allowing brief happiness before pulling her back into what seemed like a sea of loneliness.

Was that small burst of happiness worth fighting for? Was it worth the burning from salty insults?

As Sissi watched the group laugh in a way that she was painfully aware she might never partake in, the girl was outwardly clenching fists and glaring daggers. Inwardly, she struggled to stay afloat and hold back tears. In a deep corner of her mind that she didn't want to acknowledge, Sissi couldn't help but wonder how much longer she could keep from drowning.


	24. Flipflops

_Slap. Slap. Slap._

Jeremy ignored the annoyingly loud sound of flip-flops smacking the floor that came from behind him. It was probably just Odd anyway, trying to get him outside to "get some fresh air" because it was unhealthy to "spend all day holed up in his room". Wait, those had been Aelita's words.

_Slap._

Jeremy frowned slightly to himself as he tried to unscramble a segment of code. If he just switched the—

_Slap. Slap. Slap._

The blond gritted his teeth, then realized that no one should have come see him. Odd had showed up—wow, had it really been an hour ago?—earlier in bright purple trunks saying something about swimming.

_Slap. _

Were they pacing? Jeremy's eyes stayed locked on the computer screen. He'd finish unscrambling this code before he checked to see who—

_SLAP. _

"Would you stop that?" Jeremy half snarled before he could contain himself, whirling around in the chair. "I mean, honestly—" he cut himself off, jaw suddenly slack.

"I'm sorry; I was just hoping that you'd come swim with us," Aelita said in a startled tone, blinking. She noticed Jeremy's wide eyes and smiled. "Oh, you like my new flip-flops?"

"I, uh..." Now it was Jeremy's turn to blink. Aelita was standing in the middle of his room in a white bikini with a pattern of strawberries, smiling happily at him. The top had a slight ruffle while a loose, red skirt covered the bottom. Her flip-flops were white, with a small strawberry on top.

"And look!" Aelita twirled slightly, smile growing to a grin. "They match my new bathing suit! I went shopping with Yumi earlier today," she added in explanation.

"Uh, wow," Jeremy said, feeling his cheeks flush. "Wow, it, uh… beautiful," he managed to get out.

"That's a little dramatic for flip flops, but thanks!" She lifted one foot slightly, brushing a strand of sopping wet hair air away. "The flip-flops are _beautiful_," she said dramatically, then grinned. "Right?"

Jeremy's face had turned completely red, but he was smiling. "Right."


	25. Beautiful

It was beautiful.

The butterfly flapped its wings, quickly fluttering from a branch to a flower. The delicate, paper-thin wings then paused as if to show off their supposed brilliance, and the butterfly became as still as the woman watching it.

It _was _beautiful, she had decided. It was very beautiful. And deadly.

To an innocent child that might have happened upon the cluster of flowers, the butterfly was a small, gentle creature of brilliance—one of nature's many miracles. To the bitter, pink-haired woman kneeling in the grass, overwhelmed with fresh grief and fury over her husband's loss, the butterfly—all of them—was nothing short of a murder.

In one, quick movement, the woman's hand shot out and closed around the butterfly. She squeezed for several moments, crushing the fragile wings with ease. Then she wiped her hand on her bright purple skirt.

The bright splotch of blood that would soon stain her lips would be almost as beautiful as the butterfly.

Aelita stood, turning her back on the flowers the butterfly had rested on a few seconds ago. _I'll see you soon, Jeremy._

The tears gathering in her eyes blurred the ground. She blinked them away and wiped at her now wet mouth, wanting to have a perfect view of the blood. She gazed at the red on her hand for a few seconds, a sudden feeling of pain exploding in her chest. The blood was almost as beautiful as the butterfly.

Aelita crumpled to the ground, eyes wide and lightless.

Almost.


	26. Dream

Dreams are an interesting concept.  
A scream erupts somewhere in the halls of Kadic Academy. I  
almost wish I had the sense—the humans referred to it as hearing—so that I  
could experience it more clearly.  
But I can feel it. When dreaming, humans sometimes react and  
feel as normally as they do in reality.  
What is it like to dream? I wonder only briefly, feeling another  
scream of terror. It gives me another not quite real "feeling". Pleasure, I  
believe. So I experiment, sending my own dream that isn't as pleasant.  
You can thank me for your nightmares.


	27. Second Chance

_I... wasn't supposed to have a second chance_.

Jeremy clutched his shirt, hunching over in his chair. His heart thudded frantically against his chest—he wondered whether it had somehow continued from the return to the past or just from the shock of near death.

It was disconcerting to be free falling one moment, then sitting peacefully in your room the next.

_I shouldn't be alive. _

But he was. Jeremy had been given the return to the past—a second chance. He couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing that there was another boy just like him that hadn't been given the same chance.


	28. Friendship

Herve trailed a finger on the edge of the bench, letting out a sigh filled with loneliness that was obvious to anyone who cared enough to spare a glance in his direction.

_I need friends._

A peal of laughter, sounding completely different from Herve's sigh resounded in the courtyard. His next sigh, released less than a minute later, was filled with longing.

_But not these kinds of friends._

A shrill voice, ordering Herve to "get his butt over here" stabbed at his ears. With a last glance that in the direction of Belpois's group—his happy group—he obeyed.


	29. Thirteen

"Ready?"

"No, wait!"

"C'mon. One, two—"

"No!" the boy shrieked, his blond haired head shaking vigorously. He stared at the blurry chair where his glasses lie, then at the sloshing water. "I'm not ready. I'm… scared."

"Then hold my hand." The seven year-old grinned, brushing a sopping strand of pink hair out of her eyes, and snatched the blond's hand. "We'll count to thirteen."

The boy looked at her hand, blushing slightly, then asked, "Why thirteen?"

"Because I don't believe in bad luck. On thirteen?"

He hesitated. "On thirteen..."

They counted, then jumped. The splash wasn't as loud as their following gasps and laughter.


	30. Like the Movies

"Jeremy!" came the shriek, muffled from a blue sweater.

"It's… it's not… real, Aelita." The half stuttered, reassuring line was flustered as a result of the speaker being unable to concentrate on anything more than the pink haired head nuzzled against his chest. He slowly wound an arm around Aelita's shoulders and tried to ignore a brightly colored blush, which was, thankfully, hidden by the near darkness.

"I don't think I like the movies." Again, the words were muffled, but Jeremy could easily make them out.

"I'm not too fond of them either," he said.

_At least, not before this. _


	31. Music

"Jeremy, could you please change the station?"

"Sure." He jumped up, walking the few steps it took to get the radio, and turned the knob. A quick but smooth rhythm sounded. As Jeremy turned to resume his place by Aelita on the bed, his eyes met hers, and lyrics suddenly burst out of the speakers.

_I think I'm fallin' for you._

_Hey girl, I think I'm fallin' for—_

Jeremy quickly turned the knob again. "Wrong station," he said awkwardly.

_Baby, baby, won't you love me? _

_Baby, baby—_

Jeremy turned the knob, feeling his cheeks flush. Aelita was looking down at her textbook in embarrassment.

_I love you more with every breath, _

_Truly, madly, deeply do—_

"How about we study quietly?" Jeremy asked as he unplugged the radio, fumbling and almost dropping it.

"That… sounds good." A light blush stained her cheeks, and Jeremy couldn't help the thought of how cute she looked.

A sudden twitch of her lips, a smile, caused Jeremy to laugh. They glanced at each other, both grinning with embarrassment.

Jeremy plugged the radio back in.


	32. The Road Not Taken

He'll move onto a more advanced school (he has no friends; there's no reason to stay) and make Franz's mistake ("An AI seemed like a good idea at the time!")

She'll move back to Japan (new jobs, new locations) and study martial arts.

He'll lose his laughter (this breakup hit him hard)

He'll befriend a raven-haired delinquent (they'll be in jail before the end of high school)

She'll sit (neither awake nor asleep), dormant, like the supercomputer (it was never turned on) she resides in.

It'll stand for a year before being torn down.

(It's just an old factory)


	33. Picture

It would be awesome. (More time for the ladies!)

She could confess to him. (Just friends? Not anymore)

He would get to spend more time with her. (Training too. Maybe he'd finally beat her in a match)

She could spend more time watching him feel happy than weary from working. (How wonderful)

He could take her out somewhere; maybe tell her how he felt. (Note to self: prepare for teasing)

They could picture it.

Each one of the Lyoko warriors had their own private longing, both for themselves and for the day when Xana was finally defeated—when their picture became reality.

* * *

**_I'm kind of doing a catch-up for XL drabble challenges.  
__  
For those of you that read it, CARTHAGE: Project X will be updated by Tuesday, Thursday at the latest. _**

**_I remember someone requesting a drabble about candy, so that's what the next one will be about. Any more requests can be sent by pm or review.  
_**


	34. Candy

"Want some?"

"My mommy says that I can't take candy from strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger, Marie; you know me. I'm your uncle Jimbo"

"You don't look like an uncle. Uncles are less scary-looking and shorter. Plus, they don't wear band-aids on their face."

"I have to wear that."

"Why? It looks weird."

"I was hurt."

"Were you hurt in a fight? I bet you were hurt in a fight. You were fighting someone! You are scary!"

"No, I'm—"

"Mommy!" the girl shrieked, taking off in the opposite direction. "There's a stranger that wants to fight me!"

Jim helplessly gestured in the girl's direction and sighed. It had been so much easier when his niece had just taken the candy.


	35. Pop

_Pop._

"Odd, stop it."

_Pop._

"Odd."

Silence. Then, _Pop. Pop. Pop—_

"Odd!"

"C'mon, Jeremy, _everyone _loves this stuff."

"Not me."

"Yes you do. Admit it_._ You're just being crabby." _Pop. Pop._

"_Odd_." The word was spoken with venomous quiet.

A sheepish "Sorry" was spoken in unison with an indignant, "That was Aelita!"

"Would you two please stop doing that? I need to concentrate."

"But, Jeremy… bubble wrap is so much fun." Aelita blinked innocently, and Jeremy struggled not to cave.

"Could you please keep from popping it while I work?"

"Okay." There was silence.

"Alright, one more time."

_Pop._


	36. Future Jeremy

I feel myself blush.

Aelita giggles—a soft, melodious sound, no doubt finding this cute.

_He's as nervous as he was in high school, _she must be thinking. I see a flash of nostalgia in her eyes. I feel my own, but it's quickly covered by nervousness. I try to push it down.

I have somewhat of an excuse to act this way.

I drop to one knee, carefully sliding something out of my pocket, and watch as her expression turns from affection to shock.

A few seconds pass before I manage to get the words out.

"Will you marry me?"


	37. Future Aelita

I can't help but gasp.

He's staring up at me, face flushed, eyes earnest and hopeful. For several seconds I can't do much more than stare back.

_Oh my god. _

I blink once, twice at Jeremy's patient eyes, and get past the shock enough to know that people in the park are staring, and my eyes are feeling wet.

I blink, and tears slip down my cheeks. I don't completely ignore the feeling that bursts inside of me—a mix of anxiousness, shock, and joy.

I can answer, but barely, just in a whisper.

"Yes."


	38. First Meeting

"Sup. Odd."

"I'm Yumi."

"Ulrich."

"Aelita."

"Jeremy."

Greetings, snorts, groans, frowns, smiles, and even blushes were traded in the dim light of the closet.

"I like your glasses."

'Uh… thanks..."

"Ooh, someone's in love."

"Am not!"

"Are too. I can see you blushing." Silence. "Told you."

When light flooded the not-so-large janitor's closet less than an hour later, the five crowded teens breathed a sigh of relief, but all harboring a thought similar to,

_Getting locked in a closet might not be the best way to get to know someone, but it sure is interesting._


	39. Understanding

This time the challenge was two 50-word drabbles that could be completely different or interlocking.

* * *

I can't remember ever having any respect for them.

Humans are vile and foolish. These smaller humans claim that I am killing the world—but what they don't understand is that they've already killed it.

I am rescuing it. They should thank me.

Perhaps they'll understand this one day.

* * *

I wonder why Xana hates.

Ever since I turned on the supercomputer, it seems like he's had it out for the world.

What kind of twisted being has a reason for trying to kill children?

Now that I think about it, I'm not entirely sure I wish to know.


	40. Nerves

He turned to laughter—as long as it kept him sane, they could deal with the lame jokes.

They fought—She found that punching helped dissipate the stress, and he knew the slicing up some hornets wouldn't be too bad when it built up.

He worked too much for it to bother him most of the time—She didn't like it but had to admit that it helped when she assisted him on difficult coding or encryption.

Constantly saving the world from a power-hungry artificial intelligence wasn't easy, they reflected. Everyone had their own way of coping with the nerves.


	41. Start

Hiya! Just a little note to say that I really appreciate the reviews; each one brightens my day a bit more! Thanks, you guys, especially my constant reviewers: Soul Jelly, Cyanide 6, Kelly (going under random guest names), and Cadule (despite your pestering for the update. Don't worry; it'll come soon). Thanks for reviewing, and to those that don't; thanks for reading!

* * *

Fires break out. (Raging, hungry for lives)

Screams resound. (Full of terror and pain, scratching at the soul)

We run with those that are innocent. (They can escape; we cannot)

Howls of grief arise. (Next to half burned corpses and motionless bodies)

We're broken, but we don't show it.

We've caused this.

Xana is watching as this horror unfolds. We're sure of it even as we flee uselessly for our lives.

It will only get worse. Beaming through any outlet he can find, the words are heard clearly. They pound their way into our minds.

_I'm just getting started. _


	42. Bronze

Aelita watched the sun sink lower into the pink and orange ocean that was the sky, sighing contentedly.

He smiled—it was shy but large, directed at his lap.

The sight of it made her giggle. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Mhmm," Jeremy murmured. Aelita failed to notice that they weren't staring in the same direction. "Very beautiful."

She turned to him, trying to identify the sun-added element to his smile. It wasn't gold—that was too bright and flashy.

He blushed under her gaze.

Bronze, she decided. His smile was bronze, and in her opinion, much better than gold.

* * *

I love Jerlita. So. Much.

JxA forever.


	43. Gold

The sound of bawling fills the room.

He takes the time to marvel at the noise contained in such a tiny infant. His attention quickly shifts to the exhausted but beautiful face of the woman on the bed. The setting sun comes through the window to paint her in gold.

"Aelita." The whisper is nearly inaudible. The infant, tiny strands of pink hair shaking in rhythm with fists and feet, is cradled gently in her arms. Pure joy mixes with the gold in her face.

The same joy he sees explodes in his chest.

_This is truly a golden moment._


	44. Success

This wasn't like he'd imagined it.

When Jim fantasized about finally figuring out what Belpois's little group was up to, he thought it would involve some major busting and deep satisfaction on his part.

What he hadn't given thought to was that he'd uncover a dangerous, terrifying secret that had to be kept.

Sneaking and being patient had yielded results. But now, because of that night he'd tiptoed down to the factory, he could never look at them the same way again.

Maybe ignorance really was bliss.

For the first time in his life, Jim wished that he hadn't succeeded.


	45. Persevere

It drips out of frustration and despair. (Sweat from brows and tears from squinted eyes)

Cries ring out. (Some in desperation, some in fear)

Xana knocks them down with ease. (Some can jump back up, laughing, and some need help)

Friendships and nerves crack and splinter. (Eventually stitched back together by responsibility)

Nightmares and last-minute scares pile up. (Breakdowns aren't uncommon)

Nerves are frayed. (Unlike shoelaces, they cannot be replaced)

Seconds that are wasted pair with lives. (Failing doesn't mean death just for them)

They must hold up the world. (Without them, it will fall to Xana)

They must persevere.


	46. Everything

I am nothing.

I can't separate my senses. Feelings, tastes, sounds, smells, and sights all combine to make one being.

Or am I everything?

I feel my thoughts. I see them. I see the astonishing structure of the supercomputer, smell the bits of code, hear all of it, taste the metal in my mouth.

Do I have a mouth?

Jeremy has a mouth. Am I Jeremy?

Angry thoughts sear pain into me. I whimper and pull away, if I can whimper. Of course I am Jeremy.

But I feel so different. I am also someone else, something else.

The bits of code are part of me. The supercomputer and Lyoko expand to fill my sense—my one sense of taste, smell, see, hear, and feel.

Something bursts inside of me, if there is an inside. A ravenous curiosity tugs at my sense, telling me to explore.

I can feel everything—information comes in almost overwhelming waves from my sense. It's so clear. Every detail of these things is super sized, thoroughly explored, and pressed permanently into my being in less than a second. The feeling is amazing.

Then I feel an overpowering sense of evil that lashes at my consciousness. If I can scream, I do so, and recoil.

I realize that the evil is Xana. With my newfound sense, I can feel his evil in every fiber of me and explore it with unwilling scrutiny.

It takes only a few seconds for me to draw back, mentally gasping with agony. The information I can glean is amazing, but the price is my vulnerability. My thoughts, feeling, sense, everything that is Jeremy is exposed.

The hate is too much—too painful—to bear.

I feel another thing pressing, prodding at my consciousness. I curl instinctively, away from what must be more hate, but it uncurls my coiled being with a reassuring gentleness. I slowly stretch out and explore the thing.

Kindness and curiosity roll over me. Confusion swirls along with a growing recognition, and I realize that the thing is not a thing, but a being, almost like me. The being is a she, a digital elf.

_Aelita. _

I project the name with my thoughts, and all at once it soaks up the information I crave. Aelita is there. She is within my reach. I can… I can _hug _her.

Or so I think. I realize that I am nothing more than a cluster of consciousness, bound loosely, and immediately go within myself for fear that I will drift apart. But Aelita coaxes me out, reminding me that I am Jeremy Belpois, and I will not forget it. I am reminded that I am also a human being in the real world, not just a loose group of thoughts and feelings.

A sudden hotness burns within me. Everything of me is exposed: my good qualities and proud thoughts, but also my dark thoughts, insecurities, and all of my flaws. I am stripped of any sense of privacy I possess; she can even _feel _my own embarrassment and tries not to see for my sake, but can't.

It is worse than being naked—here Aelita can see _into _me. She can see what kind of person I am and choose to reject or accept me.

The hotness, embarrassment, continues to flow through me. This feeling of exposure and picking apart every strand of me is almost unbearable.

But Aelita projects a swell of affection and allows me a peek into her thoughts. I stay away at first, not wanting her privacy to be stripped as mine was, then hesitantly look.

The hotness burns again for a different reason, then slowly cools to a gentle lukewarm to match Aelita's surge of embarrassment.

Here, we can understand each other better than we ever have or will. But that means we're completely exposed, me more so than Aelita.

It's worth it. This deep bond, with both of us understanding and knowing each other so completely, is nothing we could hope to achieve in the real world.

Just as I come to this conclusion, Aelita's consciousness starts to fade. My one sense begins to separate.

I panic, trying to grab onto something, but there is nothing to grab onto. My willpower alone can't keep me here.

I feel something but don't see it. I hear voices but can't feel them. I no longer have all that information at my fingertips.

A hollow feeling scrapes my chest even as my senses become sharper—it's not the same as having them together.

"Jeremy! Einstein, don't you dare die on us."

The voices are concerned. I struggle to open my eyes, the feeling of a physical body strange and unnatural, but eventually a bright light fills my vision. I have to close my eyes again to get used to sight, then open them.

Everything pulls together, lined up neatly instead of swirling randomly as it just had. I am Jeremy Belpois. I go to Kadic Academy. Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita are my friends.

It's amazing how much clearer basic information can make things.

"Jeremy!" The cheers echo throughout the room. Questions and comments are directed at me for several seconds before they stop, noticing my blank look.

"Are you okay? How did it go?" Yumi asks seriously, a worried look crossing her features.

No few words or even sentences can accurately describe my experience, so when a grin jumps unwarranted onto my face, I speak the first word my brain puts on my lips.

"Awesome."

Laughter is my response. Later, I apologize to Aelita, though she knows very well that I am sorry. I still feel the need to apologize.

After I shut the monitor off, my smile turns off with it. Tears jump to my eyes, and my fingers curl into fists. I wonder how long I'll feel this emptiness where our bond was.

In the cover of the night, I sob quietly until I fall asleep.

* * *

Hm, this turned out longer than I planned. Because of that it'll be a little longer that the other half of your request is finished, Johnny. X59's request is next: something about Ulrich and Odd involving the phrase "forget the plan, just wing it."


	47. All out

The shining stacks of chips were pushed forward.

Mutterings broke out at the amount. Even a few players couldn't disguise their shock or relief—going all out at this point would be idiotic.

He reached a hand toward the cards with a neutral expression—

"Come to Crazy Cal's Chicken! We're selling you chicken at prices so low that it's _crazy_—"

"Della Robbia! Put that back on, now."

"Aw, Jim—"

"Now!"

"But poker is so boring."

"Detention if you don't hand me that remote right now."

"Oh, look! Someone changed it to poker then dropped the remote. Bye!"


	48. Stained

Odd knew he was going to die.

His chest wobbled upward slightly in a ragged breath. The vague thought that dying didn't feel the same as he'd imagined flitted across his mind, then was gone. Pain coursed down his body at every moment, and the hot, unbearable agony was now dulled to a rhythmic throb. Warmth and wetness coated his side, but Odd didn't look. He didn't want to see his favorite outfit stained red.

Pink, blond, brown, and black haired heads seem to float above him. He blinked, the single movement seeming to take enormous effort, and failed on focusing them.

Gentle and fake promises that sounded miles away were whispered into his ear, choked out through quiet tears.

"Xana's gone now. It's… It's going to be okay."

Odd tried to smile as he closed his eyes—one last, simple thing to let them know he was okay with it. They had _won_. His lips curled, parted, to let the final breath through.

Then he was nothing.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed, Shadows!


	49. Winging it

"Remember the plan. Move right. No, wait, left."

"I'm trying; I'm trying."

"Cover me, Jeremy."

"Oh, man—Odd, Shoot! Shoot! She's right behind you!"

"I see that. Shut up; I'm trying to concentrate."

"Focus on the plan, Odd."

"Forget the stupid plan. We'll just wing it."

But 'winging it' soon proved to be a very bad idea.

Before Ulrich could mutter another curse, the dreaded _Game Over _flashed on the screen. As the two seated beside him argued that they had played fair with his roommate, he wondered how two nerds could possibly be this good at a video game.

* * *

X59: Sorry your request took so long, but I hope you enjoyed it.


	50. Girl's Day Out

"Yumi, what's a 'girl's day out'?"

The black haired girl immediately snapped her book closed. She sat opposite Aelita in the pink haired girl's room, taking on a tone Aelita would've related to Jeremy's 'professor voice', and explained for a solid fifteen minutes.

"...But that's too girly for me, so we're not going to do that," Yumi finished, then went on about what they _would _do for another fifteen minutes.

"That sounds kind of dangerous..."

"Nah, it's just some fun. Trust me."

For the first time, Yumi's wink wasn't reassuring.

* * *

This is a drabble set before Soul Jelly's on the same prompt (which you should check out if you haven't read, because this one would make more sense and hers is just plain awesome)


	51. Date

"Aelita, would you like a date?"

"I've never tried one, but sure." The pink haired girl reached toward the bowl of fruit cradled in Jeremy's hand, then stopped at his abashed expression. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just, um…" Jeremy coughed, suddenly blushing, and looked at the ground. "I just wanted to know whether you'd want an _actual _date… with me."

Aelita paused. "Are you using a bowl of fruit to ask me out, Jeremy?"

He looked back up sheepishly. "Is that lame?"

"Yes." Aelita kissed him on the cheek. "And I love it."

"So… is that a yes?"

* * *

I was randomly thinking about fruit (because I guess I've had a kind of craving for a pear or something juicy and sweet) and thought, "Hey, I bet Jeremy would try and use fruit to ask Aelita out!" (Because that makes sense. Really, it does) and this was born.

Yep.

Still open to requests. (Except for Oddlita. Sorry, but you will never see anything even remotely Oddlita related from me, ever. EVER.)


	52. Celadon

Green.

Jeremy swallowed his anger and smiled at Theo, who was talking with Aelita.

That was the color of envy.

He wasn't blind. Did they think he couldn't see their flirtatious looks or winks?

But it wasn't quite accurate, Jeremy thought.

Jeremy clenched his fist, shoving it into his pocket so Aelita couldn't see it. He knew she wasn't hers, but… He let out a quick breath through his nose. Aelita had been getting more popular, and it wasn't too surprising for him—after all, why wouldn't she? She was funny, smart, kind, pretty… beautiful.

Envy was green like her eyes, but not quite. That green was too pretty. Too good for Theo, at least.

Boys surrounded her more and more. Jeremy would meet her in the library or near the vending machine, only to find another guy or two already hanging around her. Then he convinced himself to outdo the guy in some sort of imaginary competition in his head, but he always ended up shrinking back, making an excuse to leave.

How could that green fit envy? It was too pretty for such an ugly emotion.

"And I said, 'For you, no charge!'" Jeremy tuned back into their conversation long enough to hear the punch line of a joke Theo had told.

Both of them cracked up, Theo doubling over with over dramatic grin. Aelita was laughing happily, and it was because of Theo.

The sight of it made Jeremy sick.

He forced himself to smile again. Then he looked at the ground, the other students milling about in the courtyard—anything but Aelita and Theo.

Celadon was a better color. Green, but tinted with grey. Contaminated. Ugly.

Envious.

He knew he didn't deserve her. But, honestly, it should've gone without saying that if Jeremy didn't deserve her, Theo most definitely didn't. There were nice boys at Kadic, jerks, other brainiacs like Herve, but none of them deserved her.

Why couldn't they just get that into their heads? Why couldn't they just _stay away _from her?

"Jeremy!"

Jeremy pulled himself out of his dark thoughts, trying to change his expression to a more pleasant one as he looked at Aelita. "Yeah?"

"Your cup." Her eyes traveled to his hand, and Jeremy suddenly realized that coffee was running over his hand and dripping onto the pavement. He had crushed it in his fist.

His cheeks burned, as much from anger as from embarrassment. "Yeah, right, sorry," he mumbled, and moved toward the trashcan. "I have to go."

"No, wait." Aelita grabbed his shoulder, but Jeremy pulled it away and continued to walk, ignoring her protests. He reached as far as the trashcan, and after he tossed the cup, Aelita gripped his wrist.

"Stop," she said, tone firm but not unkind.

"Let go. You'll get coffee on you." Jeremy turned away, still mumbling.

"Honestly, Jeremy, you're smart. You should be able to come up with a better excuse than that," Aelita said as she pulled him toward her, giving half a smile. "Theo, could you give us a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." The boy smiled at her, sending a shiver down Jeremy's spine, and walked away.

"What's the matter with you?" Aelita demanded once Theo had left, smile gone. "You've been acting odd lately, and now you're just leaving after crushing your cup for no reason." When he didn't answer, she moved closer, taking one of his hands. Her tone was softer. "Jeremy, what's wrong? You looked like you wanted to punch Theo—you still do—and I know you aren't violent."

He did. His fist tightened, and he reluctantly swung his gaze toward Aelita. "You know why. You can see."

"No, I can't. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

Jeremy pulled his hand away and wiped it on his shorts, a look of anger on his face. "I'm not stupid! If you don't like me and want to hang out with Theo instead, you can just say so instead of rubbing it in," he spat.

Aelita looked surprised. "What?"

"You and Theo! And every other guy you like to hang out with. Frankly, I'm surprised you don't have a boyfriend." Jeremy felt stupid, his face turning hot.

Aelita was speechless.

"Go on," he snapped, but it didn't have as much anger behind it. He looked away, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

Aelita waited several moments before speaking. "You see the way you're assuming things? Stop it. It's irrational," she said sharply, now composed. "I don't want to become like Yumi and Ulrich. They're my friends—yours, too—and I love them both to death, but I don't want to argue and be envious, jealous, whatever."

Jeremy didn't respond.

"You know?" When he still didn't respond, Aelita continued. "You know… you're right. I could have a boyfriend."

Jeremy's face quickly darkened, a cold pit forming in his stomach. "Yeah," he said, voice hollow. "Mhmm."

"I could," Aelita repeated, looking at him. "But I don't think I'd be very happy with Theo." She spoke very slowly as if trying to explain something to a small child.

_He doesn't deserve her. He doesn't deserve her._ "Yeah," Jeremy said again.

Aelita stared at him. "I think I would be happy with someone else, though."

"I'm sure you would." Jeremy tried to turn and walk away, but a loud voice froze him.

"Oh, come _on_!" it drawled. "Do I have to paint you a picture? She wants _you _to be her boyfriend, Einstein."

Jeremy peered over Aelita's shoulder as the pink haired girl whirled around, looking accusingly at the three teens that began to come from around the corner.

"You were eavesdropping?" Jeremy asked, half embarrassed and half irritated.

"You're pitiful," the blond said, ignoring the question. "Really, Einstein." Ulrich nodded in agreement, walking around to stand by Odd.

"Yumi. I expect this from them, but you too?" Aelita seemed aghast as she looked at Ulrich and Odd.

She shrugged, smirking.

"This is none of your business," Jeremy said, blushing. He wondered whether Yumi and Ulrich had heard Aelita's comment about them.

"Oh, but it is," Odd said in a stuffy voice, hooking an arm around Jeremy's shoulders. "You see, while I'm your friend, it is my duty to help you, and so I shall."

"I don't need help," he said, pulling away.

"Obviously you do. Now, come on." He pulled Jeremy closer to Aelita. "You agree to be her boyfriend, you two smooch, and everything is—"

"Odd!" Aelita and Jeremy cried unison, blushing, and scowled at him.

"Right, right, let it happen naturally." Odd put his hands up in a surrendering position, backing away with a smile. "Come on, you guys." He tugged Ulrich around the corner with him.

Yumi waited long enough to give Jeremy and Aelita both a smile, which seemed slightly apologetic, and then left them both in awkward silence.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds, avoiding gazes. At one point, Jeremy found Aelita staring at him, almost expectantly.

"What do you want me to say?" he blurted after a moment.

Aelita smiled crookedly. "How about that you'll be my boyfriend?"

Jeremy, feeling a new wave of heat pass through his face, was only able to nod. His stomach jumped, and he squeezed his fist, but for an entirely different reason. "Yeah. Sure. Of course."

Aelita's smile turned into a grin. She blushed at the congratulations and whoops whispered from behind the corner. Jeremy tried to ignore it and grinned back, staring at her green eyes.

Green.

Celadon.

Envy.

But it was red flushing his cheeks, red in his mind, not celadon.

Red.

Love.

* * *

Jerlita, how I love you 3 This was kind of done in a hurry for Jerlita week on dA.


	53. Circumlocution

"And the code was scrambled, so I had to…"

Aelita tuned out again, staring at Jeremy's brown sweater. She liked the blue better.

"Aelita? Are you getting this?"

She snapped back. "Yeah, sure."

"Are you sure?"

She had to fight back a sigh and nodded. Jeremy continued to talk, and soon Aelita found herself wishing that he would stop. Of course, she didn't mind talking to him or hearing him talk normally, but did they always have to talk about codes and Lyoko? Why not something else for a change?

Then she began to lean forward, thinking of a way to shut him up and get him talking about something else at the same time.

"—the algorithm, I—uh, Aelita, what are you doing? Aelita?"

Jeremy tried to lean backwards, but Aelita darted forward and caught him in a kiss. She felt him go rigid as her hands slipped down to his shoulders, half out of instinct and half to make him stay, but something told her that he wouldn't be moving for a long time.


	54. Lost

It only takes a week for Odd to go. (It's inevitable, really—he's the most careless of them. But that doesn't mean he deserves to die.)

Another two weeks later, it's Yumi. (How were they supposed to know that the sector had a gun?)

Then there's just Ulrich left to fight. (The only thing driving him is grief.)

All the while, Jeremy pushes on until he's haggard and weary. He pushes pass the losses, convinces himself that it's okay, because she'll be back soon to help. Soon. Maybe even tomorrow—no, tonight. (It's not like she drowned in the sewers. That's only a nightmare.)

Xana hadn't actually killed her. (She was just missing, and that was all.)

Saying it, thinking it, sobbing it enough times will make it true. He's sure of it. (And he does convince himself.)

Jeremy believes it enough to ignore Ulrich when the brunette tells him it's time to move on and find a new way to deactivate the towers, when he sensibly points out that they'll both be lost if they can't find a way to stop Xana without Aelita. (Aelita's _not _dead. She'll come back tonight, this time for sure.)

Ulrich didn't die either. He didn't leave Jeremy to fight alone. He's just missing too—yeah. (Just like Yumi, Odd, and Aelita.)

They will all come back soon. He knows it. Believes it. (It's all that's left for him.)

They're just lost.

(Only temporarily, not forever.)

* * *

Well, this is the result of a prompt given from XL for a challenge. More will come, and they will most likely be dark as this one.

Shameless advertising: XL is Xana's Lair, an awesome Code Lyoko forum with nearly 200 members. There are tons of fun stuff to do there, from RPing (Roleplaying), battling in the Arena with a self-made character, discussing CL and anything related, and just plain chatting! You guys should check it out!


	55. Haunted

He should've said something.

But they had been doing so well. They handled it just fine, and trying to butt in would have just annoyed them. They had made it perfectly clear that they didn't want anything to do with him.

He should've done something. Said something, helped them fight at the least. Jeremy and Aelita would've been sensible enough to accept the help, and Yumi might have aside her pride and dislike. But Ulrich would have definitely refused.

Now their faces haunted him.

There was grim determination and strain in their eyes; their faces bordered on terror and threatened to break. It was all too clear, etched into his mind as if the school had been overrun with Xana's robots only a minute ago.

He should have been used to that. William had lost his father, his old friends, Yumi... No. He didn't want to think about that.

But that was _different._He couldn't have stopped it that time, but this... he would've if he—he would have...

Would've...

Could've...

Should've...

None of that mattered now. They had saved the school, but they were dead. William couldn't change it or justify that he had just _let _them die, no matter how many could've's or would've's he used.

Their faces were in his dreams—nightmares, more accurately—staring at him with either an expression of wild terror or hate. William had seen the latter before—the numerous practical jokes and pranks he'd played at his old school ensured that.

But watching someone get scared to death just wasn't the same as watching someone die.

* * *

...yeah.

Just assume that all the 100-300 word dark prompts that come up next are challenges from XL. (Don't forget to check it out!)


	56. Shriek

There's someone in the hall.

_Shhh._

_Click. Click.  
_

The sound of slippers gliding across the floor, someone walking, perhaps trying to tiptoe slowly.

Silence.

Quick and shallow breathing.

Pink hair quivering.

New sweat beading over old.

Thoughts racing with remnants of the nightmare.

Terror.

_Shhh._

Closer.

Thoughts of too many horror movies, courtesy of Odd.

Eyes shutting. Heart beating.

_Shhh._

Just another late night bathroom trip for one of the girls.

Is it?

Right outside the door.

Hands curling.

One around a doll, one around the knife under her pillow.

She doesn't like it, but it is necessary.

Doorknob turning.

Thoughts of this ridiculousness.

Why is she afraid?

Nightmare flashes.

Breath hitching.

Heart speeding. Body tensing. Terror coursing.

A sliver of light falls upon her.

Fighting not to pant. Not to scream.

Stillness.

Knife gripped.

Silence.

She can hear them breathing.

Sound drowned out by her heartbeat.

Silence.

What are they waiting for?

Nearly dizzy from controlling her breathing.

Unbearable silence. Then—

"Aelita?"

The gentle whisper sends the girl whirling, knife in hand.

The movement sends the boy jumping backwards.

Startled glances. Knife clattering to the floor. Sheepish apology.

Relief.

"Jeremy. I've been on edge all night, and I had a nightmare earlier…"

Gentle reassuring.

Light glinting off of eyes.

Suspicious blackness replacing blue.

Relief overpowering suspicion.

Door sliding closed.

Hand behind back.

Eyes flashing black. A familiar symbol.

Knife glinting in the moonlight. Not hers.

Horrified realization.

The shriek is loud enough for the whole dorm to hear.


	57. Before and After

"So you really didn't have any friends before the supercomputer?"

"No," Jeremy said as he drew his bare feet under himself on the bed.

Aelita stuck out her lip in a show of sympathy, frowning. She sat next to him in the bed; a forgotten textbook was the only thing that stood between them.

"It's okay," Jeremy said quickly, "It didn't upset me. I mean, I was kind of lonely sometimes, but honestly… I didn't think about friends that often. It was easier not to."

"Easier not to…?" Aelita's frown became deeper. She shifted, imitating Jeremy's position on the bed, and turned a page of the book. It was more for something occupy her hands for anything else; both had long since ceased studying.

"Well, this may sound silly…" Jeremy scratched the back of head in a gesture that Aelita recognized as sheepish. "But I just didn't know how to make friends, or I was just really, really bad at it."

Aelita nodded in understanding, reaching toward the textbook. They had come across this point while discussing shutting down the supercomputer a few weeks prior.

"I also didn't realize how great friends could be, either," he confessed as her hand relaxed on one of the pages. "The most fun thing for me to do was to build robots, read, or otherwise spend time doing something that everyone else thought ridiculous. Or dorky."

Aelita let out a small giggle at this; all of these options sounded rather fun to her. She pressed her lips together, trying to contain a smile. "Dorks and nerds rule the world. Everyone else can suit themselves."

Jeremy had been absently tracing a swirling blue patter on his blanket. He looked up at her words, breaking out into a smile. "That's right. Although it wasn't that fun sitting out all the dances." He chuckled. "Not that I'm not doing the same now."

Jeremy didn't notice Aelita's hand creeping across the book until it was on top of his.

"Now that's Xana's gone, and we have some time to go, you won't have to sit them out anymore." Aelita smiled.

Two years, or even a year ago, Jeremy would have probably questioned who he could have possibly gone with and become embarrassed and snappish at the answer. Then he would have said something stupid to Aelita to hurt her feelings and overall screw it up.

He wasn't that dense now.

"Well… uh, good," he said, managing a smile.

Aelita's own grin flickered. "You… you did want to, right?" She gently pushed the textbook out of the way and scooted closer, squeezing his hand.

Just because Jeremy wasn't going to say something stupid (too stupid, at least), that didn't mean he actually knew what to say. He wanted to say that he would love to, but just the thought made his face feel hotter than it was already. He wasn't going to say that he didn't want to; he had practically just told her the opposite. He was at a loss.

"No. I mean yes! I think. I mean, I think yes, not I think maybe." Who said he had to upset her to screw it up? "Uh. Can I pass?"

Aelita's smile returned. She had seemed to expect this reaction. "It's a simple yes or no, Jeremy."

_Simple?_ It couldn't have been more complicated. "Yes," he blurted out suddenly. Something in his brain told him that was definitely the right answer. "Yes," he said more slowly, trying to make the word sound natural. Had he said it too eagerly? Not eagerly enough?

"So next dance, you're all mine!" she said mischievously, and leaned forward so that their lips touched.

A jolt of electricity arched from the single point where their lips met. It traveled through his body, making him want to jerk away and remain there forever at the same time. Jeremy grappled with the two instincts in a faraway corner of his mind while Aelita pulled back.

She smiled shyly at him as her cheeks turned pink.

"Oh," Jeremy managed after several seconds, suddenly aware of how much he was blushing and his wide eyes. He wanted to look away in embarrassment, and at the same time, kiss her. But he couldn't seem to move from that position, frozen, staring at her.

Aelita giggled. "So… maybe we should study now?"

"Oh," Jeremy repeated lamely. "Oh." He was a record stuck on a loop. Maybe another kiss would fix that… "Uh."

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

WOW I'M NOT DEAD

I'll still be here. I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating my stories very often due to me shifting my attention to my own original story, so to those of you that were hoping for an update on CARTHAGE project, I send my sincerest apologies. That will not get updated any time soon. But I will be here doing drabbles, and I'll probably find the time to update the Eight Year Old Matchmaker. It turns out that I had started the next chapter and had gotten quite a bit done too, but I ended up losing it all, which was very upsetting and will prolong the time between the next update.

I did this because I wanted to write a quick Jerlita fluff from a prompt presented to me by a friend, soul jelly, who writes awesomely fluffy Jerlita drabbles. You guys should check them out.

Anyway, keep an eye on Novella for updates and don't forget that you can send in requests!


	58. Mommy

Hi, Mommy.

Are you okay over there? You still love us, right?

It's okay. I love you either way. I miss you. Daddy says he's okay, but I know he misses you too.

I wish I could hug you.

I want to play elves again.

I want to bake cookies again.

I want to hear you play again.

I want to make snow men.

I want to hear your voice again.

I know you won't read this, but Mommy, I really miss you.

Daddy says that you're in my heart.

But I still wish you were in my arms.

-Lita


	59. Gone

He feels odd.

As Jeremy Belpois walks to his next class, a strange feeling makes the back of his mind tingle. Has he forgotten an assignment? He quickly runs through them in his head. A test? Again, he runs a mental scan, widening it to encompass any special dates or reminders. It comes out empty, puzzling the teen.

_I feel like I'm…_

He bumps into a tall, black haired girl as he rounds the corner. "Oh, sorry," he mutters distractedly, but she's stopped to stare at him. Something compels him to stop and stare back. This begins a brief, silently agreed stare-down that ends when the girl shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, I was just…" She trails off, frowning. She looks confused.

Jeremy just nods. "Ishiyama, isn't it?" he asks after a moment.

She nods. "And Belpois?"

"Yeah," Jeremy says, his tone strange. He doesn't ask how she remembers his name—he's the school Einstein, and even that nerdy position carries a bit of reputation—but just shrugs at his knowledge of hers and continues walking. That strange feeling stays with him until class, where he is briefly relieved.

Then at lunch again, the tingle is back. He heads automatically to a table near the lunch line and sits—Ishiyama is there—without speaking. She looks up from her food and they stare at each other again, but silently and more briefly than before. They exchange a small greeting and continue eating.

Jeremy pokes his mashed potatoes without much appetite. Ishiyama is eating across from him, slowly but steadily, showing a small amount of his lack of appetite.

A brunette and blond boy sit at the table, on either side of Ishiyama. She glances up but doesn't speak. Jeremy glances at Odd and Ulrich—their names jump easily to the tip of his tongue, as if he's said them many times before. He frowns at this.

For several seconds, they just glance at each other. Odd begins to eat with gusto, quickly outstripping his and Ishiyama's—_Yumi, _why would he call her Ishiyama? But then, why would he know her in the first place?—combined speed.

"Want my portion, Odd?" This jumps to the tip of his tongue just as easily, and he holds back another frown.

"You know it! Thanks, Einstein," he says with the same ease as Jeremy pushes his tray toward the blond. They both look surprised for a moment at the casualness displayed between them.

"Have I, uh, talked to you before?" Odd asks.

"Valedictorian?" Jeremy offers, but Odd shakes his head. "I don't think so," he concedes, then breaks out into a nervous smile. "Sorry. I've been a little… off, today." He adds an awkward chuckle to lighten the mood. A light smile touches Yumi's lips, though he suspects it's more out of politeness, and barely a ghost of one passes over Ulrich's face. Odd, however, is grinning.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

Jeremy feels a knot in his stomach loosen, even as another tightens. With a smile to match his mood, he nods quickly and leaves the cafeteria. It was more like an itch, he thinks, not a tingle. Persistent and annoying. He shakes his head in a dogged attempt to be rid of it.

Next period, however, it only intensifies. With Odd next to him, all Jeremy can think is along the repeated lines of, _I know I've talked to him before. _At some point he sees the other blond scribbling a familiar looking target symbol on his notebook.

Normally Jeremy showed restraint and maturity during class. This itch had been bothering him all day, however, so he didn't hesitate to ask what it was.

"Huh? Oh, I dunno," Odd mutters back with an equally confused expression. "It looks kind of familiar, but I really can't place it."

"Oh," Jeremy whispers. Then he blinks twice at Odd.

He can see purple ears on Odd's head. There's a matching tail, too, and gold gloves. A purple bodysuit and markings completes the picture.

_Laser arrow._

It's gone in a second. He shakes himself out of it as Mrs. Hertz snaps his name, realizes that he's been looking at Odd too long. Meekly, he apologizes and attributes this—this vision, or daydream—to lack of nutrition.

After last period, he returns to his dorm and finally examines the itch. It is annoying, he realizes, really annoying. Bits and pieces come to him. Phrases that he doesn't understand are continually coming up, along with the mention of a factory, and scanners.

But something else sticks out to him more than anything. It's a name, he thinks.

Aelita.

Before he can examine it, his phone rings. "What do you want?" he answers it absently, then realizes how rude the greeting is, if it can be called that. "Er, sorry. Hello?"

"Well, someone isn't in a good mood tonight." To his astonishment, it's Ulrich's sour voice that's crackling on the other end. "I found your number on my phone. Odd's, Yumi's, and another strange number too," he begins without preamble.

Jeremy's response is silence and confusion.

"I'm not sure why, but it'd better not be any funny business on your part, alright? I'm going to delete all the numbers from my phone, and I expect you to do the same with my number. Got that?"  
"Um, sure," Jeremy says, startled.

"Good. Bye."

He stares at the phone almost a minute after Ulrich hangs up, trying to find a way out of the confusing labyrinth of his thoughts. He eventually goes through and deletes the numbers, trying not to give a second thought as to why they're there.

Especially that last number. It makes him frown again; obviously it was important enough to make a quick-dial number for.

He hesitates this time, but he deletes it. Then he pushes this all out of his mind and attends to his homework, trying to keep his mind off of the painful itch.

He almost goes to sleep without thinking about it again. _Almost. _Then the memory of the factory comes back, and it hits him. It's the old factory by the forest that had been torn down about a year ago.

An ache with an astonishing amount of sadness splits his chest, and suddenly he's fighting back tears.

_What's the matter with me? It was just an old factory. _

Just like Aelita is just a name. He turns around and tries to relax, tries to ignore the gaping hole in his chest. And as he sinks into sleep, he almost manages to convince himself.

Almost.

* * *

If she could, she would cry.

Aelita puts up a fake mask of assurance. She's not going to sacrifice herself, it says. It's okay, Jeremy, it says. As she floats—normally serene, but this time, bitter—up to the top of the tower, she stifles a cry of pain. Not the physical kind, of course.

"Aelita? Aelita, what are you doing?"

His tone takes on one of panic. She's glad she can't cry, now, because she would be sobbing. A smile plays across her virtual lips; it's devoid of any humor or happiness.

"_Aelita!_"

She wishes for the bitterness to stop as she raises a hand. It was such a horrible emotion to die with. Her palm is pressed to the screen even as Jeremy screams at her not to.

"Goodbye," she whispers softly.

Then the world goes white.

* * *

set in which Aelita sacrifices herself to defeat Xana and time resets everyone's memories, so it's like Lyoko never existed.

But no one will ever know that.

/dies


	60. Black

Femslash! mostly for my friend soul that loves this pairing :3

* * *

She smelled good.

Heart pounding, cheeks flushed, body tensed and nervous, Aelita was embraced. Soft black hair brushed her ear while her cold skin was nuzzled against her neck and cheek.

Yumi smelled really good.

Aelita was sure she was blushing. But she couldn't help it, not with herself up against the older girl's soft body and breathing in her shampoo, and hear heart hammering like crazy against her chest.

"So, what do you think?" the black haired girl asked quietly.

Aelita took a moment to answer. She normally preferred pink, definitely to other colors, but black wasn't that bad.

"Nice," she whispered, breathless. "Black is nice."


	61. Confessions

"You're coming with me."

"Uh, okay, where are we—ow—Yumi—_ouch, _that hurts—"

She loosened her grip only slightly as she half dragged the blond across the courtyard, face flushed with fury. She didn't look back. He'd better not be following them, was all she knew. She was going to kill him. Later, though; right now she needed to avoid him.

She burst through the doors of the dorm building, ignoring Jeremy's complaints and questions about what she was doing and why she had to have such a death grip on his wrist, and wow, her nails were really, really sharp, as in stop-digging-your-nails-into-my-_flesh _sharp.

At last they came to his dorm room, and she released her grip. Jeremy had resigned himself to being dragged a moment ago but now he regained his own balance, rubbing the spot where Yumi had grabbed him and whining plaintively. "What's the problem?" he complained.

"We're working on our project," she responded shortly, collapsing more than sitting on the bed. She snatched the textbook from his desk and laid it open on her lap.

Confused, Jeremy walked to the bed and sat next to her. He shifted so he faced her and slid his shoes off, crossing his legs, sitting relaxed against the wall. "Why the rush?" he asked. She glanced up from the textbook and didn't answer. "Or do you really not care about the project right now because you're really mad at something. Someone," he corrected at the last minute, knowing he'd struck home when he saw her hands tighten on the edges of the book. "What'd Ulrich do this time?"

"It's funny how you automatically assumed Ulrich did something," she said tartly. Jeremy blinked in response, leading Yumi to wonder if it were possible to blink sarcastically. "Okay, you got me." She imitated Jeremy's position, also taking her shoes off, and set the book off to the side. "The idiot basically humiliated me, revealed a personal secret. I just wanted an excuse to avoid him."

"What'd he say?"

"That's none of your business," she answered so quickly and snappishly that he leaned back slightly. Yumi colored. "Um, sorry. I'm just… kind of angry about it."

"Never would've guessed," he said dryly. "But go on."

"That's… that's it. I mean, not totally it, just it for this time—" she cut herself off with a frustrated noise, making a small hand gesture. "It's just that he _always _does this, you know. He gets angry at me and tries to blow me off. This time he retaliated by revealing one of my secrets."

Jeremy looked at her for a long time. "This seems like it happens a lot."

"Because it _does. _That's what I just said."

He sighed. "Well, what do you want me to do about it, Yumi?"

She half shrugged. She hadn't really come to him with the intent of him doing anything about it, really; she'd just been looking for a place to steam about Ulrich without him actually finding her. "Nothing. You asked what was wrong, so I told you."

He shook his head and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. This had to be their, what, third fight this month? William had matured greatly since last year, so he probably wasn't the cause. If anything he helped them get along. Miraculously, Sissi hadn't bothered them for some time now, so she probably wasn't the cause either. This fight was between the two of them, though the added stress of Xana probably wasn't helping.

"It really seems you two would be better off just being honest and being done with it," he muttered, only half aware he was speaking aloud.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He put his glasses back on. "It means that you guys are so complicated, I'm not surprised you get in fights every other week. Maybe you should just be straightforward. You know, tell him what you mean, exactly why you're angry. How you feel about him."

Yumi bristled. "It's not that simple."

"Sure," he said.

"Well, go on and ask Aelita out if you think it's that simple."

"I don't have anything to prove. And we weren't talking about that," he said impatiently, turning his head to hide his embarrassment. Why was it that any time he brought up Yumi and Ulrich, he and Aelita had to come up?

"Oh, so as soon as I bring up Aelita you change the subject," she said, as if reading his mind. Her head was tilted stubbornly.

"I'm not trying to change the subject."

"I think that's exactly what you're trying to do."

"I'm not—" No. He needed to stop. "I'm not going to argue about this with you," he said forcefully, moving to get off the bed. Yumi grabbed his wrist again to stop him. This time, she was much more gentle.

"You're right, sorry about that. Don't leave," she said, her face softening slightly. For some reason that half annoyed, half hopeful look in her eyes twisted his stomach. He dismissed the feeling and sat down again.

They sat together in silence for a few seconds.

"I have an idea," Yumi said. "Are you willing to play a game?"

He blinked and pressed his lips together, trying to convince himself that he'd imagined the mischievous note in her voice. "What kind of game?"

"Hiroki and I would play it when we fought over chores. We go back and forth confessing things—you know, secrets, embarrassing things—and the first one to stop loses. I stopped playing a few years ago when he kept trying to get me to 'confess my love for Ulrich'." A smile wavered at the corners of her lips as she made air quotes with her fingers. "In this case, losing means asking someone out. Me for Ulrich, you for Aelita. Got it?"

He was going to regret this. "And why are we playing this game?"

"To… prove a point."

"I hope I'm not going to regret this in a minute," he said after a moment, mentally chuckling at the rush of nostalgia. "Who goes first?"

Yumi hesitated. "I—I, um, kissed Nicholas once in my first year."

If he had been drinking or eating something, Jeremy had no doubt he would've choked. He had a miniature double take as it was. Her? Kissing Nicholas? The picture was impossible to imagine. "Nicholas?" he managed, eyes wide, laughter bubbling up. A quick image of Xana's Aelita clone kissing him and the jealousy that followed a few years ago pushed it down.

"That's what Ulrich brought up," Yumi said glumly. "We were fighting, and it just came up."

"When did—why'd you—"

"We were on a fishing trip. I agreed to go because I felt sorry for him, and he had already covered for me earlier when I forgot to bring my homework to class. I think he had a bit of a crush on me," she admitted. A defensive note entered her voice as she added, "He was the one who initiated it. It was dark so I didn't notice till the last minute, and then I was so startled that I didn't move. So don't be getting any ideas."

"Wow." He spread his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Right, right. The only one you've made advances on recently is Ulrich. I'll keep that in mind."

"Very funny. Did I also mention that, while playing, nothing leaves the game?"

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Okay, good." She paused. "Your turn. Unless you'd like to forfeit."

Jeremy shook his head quickly. "Well… you know Claire?"

"Yeah, when Odd was dating her, she—"

"No, I mean the Claire in Milly and Tamiya's grade," he interrupted. "Small bookish girl with blond hair? She… tried to ask me out, before I met you guys."

Yumi whistled. "First you have Aelita, then you have Laura. You're getting to be such a ladies' man! Odd'll be proud."

Jeremy blushed. "Not funny," he warned. For anyone else Yumi might've continued, but recognizing the tension between the three—Aelita, Jeremy, and Laura—she resigned herself to an elbow to the ribs. Jeremy elbowed her playfully back. "Your turn," he said.

So they went back and forth, and with each confession there were more blushes and surprised outbursts, stammering, and gentle teasing.

Then Yumi admitted, "I used to have a bit of a crush on you. "

Jeremy felt himself go red. The knowledge made his stomach flutter violently, and vaguely uncomfortable with the feeling, he glanced around his room for an excuse not to look at her. Though he suddenly realized the silence made everything even more uncomfortable, so he stammered, "U-Uh—oh."

Yumi grinned bashfully. "Haven't changed a bit in that regard," she said to herself. "Remember when you tutored me, before everyone else met? In math?"

Of course he'd remembered. He'd remembered quite often, actually, so often that he had begun to get suspicious. There was no real reason that memory should pop up whenever he was talking to her or she was hooking a reassuring arm around his shoulders.

"I thought you were smart and sweet. Of course, you still are now." Grinning, she resisted the immediate urge to ruffle his hair and instead gave him an awkward, gentle punch to the shoulder. He looked down at it.

"Uh," he said again. He didn't like the way his hands felt clammy or his throat was closing up. "Uh—well—thanks." He forced a laugh, a nervous smile. "Well. I… I-I guess you win. And you know," he added quickly, "if you're as open with Ulrich as you were with me just now, and vice versa, you two should be fine."

Yumi scooted toward the edge of the bed and slid her shoes on. "Thanks, Einstein," she said gratefully. As she got up to leave, she swooped down to kiss Jeremy's cheek, cupping the opposite one with a hand.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said to his stunned face and slipped out the door. She muttered something as she left.

Cutie? Jeremy brushed his fingers were her lips had been, then pressed his forearm to his forehead. His face felt awfully hot. Maybe he had a fever. Heart racing, hands clammy, face hot—yep, a fever. He was disillusioned with that strange tone of hers and overreacting to a little peck on the cheek.

"I need to stop working so much," he muttered.

* * *

_happy birthday dr. Jeremiah_


End file.
